We are in the middle of a wellness revolution, and health-conscious consumers are here to stay. People of all ages are seeking food products that are not only more natural and healthier, but also improve the quality of their lives through high-quality nutrition. Rising trends, such as digestive wellness, sugar reduction, and quality protein are speeding up the growth of new product launches.
Valio will showcase new possibilities to grow business with clean-label and better-for-you product concepts. And our sustainable nutrition solutions cover all life stages – from infants to ageing adults.
“Naturalness in nutrition is even more important. Health-conscious people want to avoid e-codes or ingredients they don’t recognise. Products made from familiar, understandable ingredients and with minimal processing meet consumer expectations for clean-label products. Transparent and sustainable production chains are also of interest to consumers,” says Timo Pajari, SVP Food Solution Sales, Valio.
“Sustainability also means healthy and safe nutrition for people. We call this better-for-you thinking. We make and supply food ingredients that enable sugar and salt reduction, protein enrichment, clean-label and gut health. In other words, better nutrition,” continues Timo Pajari.
Valio’s patented lactose-free technology provides new business opportunities for digestive wellness
Digestive wellness has gained interest among consumers globally and it will continue to grow. In general, the growing interest in gut-friendly functional claims and ingredients has been boosted by the pandemic. For example, the retail value of lactose-free dairy is growing by 8% annually in Western Europe. In areas like the Middle East, Africa, Eastern Europe, and Asia, the growth rate exceeds the average.
Valio will be offering a webinar “Digestive wellness is driving lactose-free growth” and a live Q&A on Tuesday, November 30, 2021, at 3:30 p.m. within the Exhibitor Showcases agenda. You will hear why digestive wellness is a major business opportunity, and how to build a profitable business in dairy, beverage, and other categories.
“Lactose-free can be a great opportunity for profitability improvement when consumers associate the products with digestive benefits. Lactose-free dairy may not be mainstream yet, so now is the time to act. The key to success is making food and beverages with a superior taste and nutritional benefits that consumers can enjoy,” emphasises Timo Pajari.
How to make low-sugar and high-protein products taste great
Consumers are increasingly conscious of the sugar content in products and looking for low-sugar options without artificial add-ons. With Valio’s solutions you can reduce sugar levels in a way that does not compromise other important product qualities, like texture or taste. You can also meet the trend of high-protein and nutritious food products by adding the benefits of high-quality milk protein to your product portfolio. The high protein content of Valio Eila® milk powders makes them perfect for healthy ageing or sport nutrition products, for dietary products, and for other products requiring an increased level of high-quality protein.
“The most successful concepts pick a few consumer benefits and connect them to multiple big trends. For example, a protein pudding that builds on the trend of protein-enriched products and then combines it with digestive wellness. The product is also lactose-free, but this is not the unique selling point,” Timo Pajari summarizes.
Valio – a farmer-owned forerunner in sustainable dairy
Valio is the world’s most innovative dairy producer, with deep roots in the exceptionally pure Nordic nature. Our research and development traditions, awarded with the Nobel Prize in chemistry, have gone on for more than a century. We offer a full range of value-adding ingredients that combine multiple benefits and give food manufacturers the ability to meet the latest consumer trends.
We are owned by 4,300 Finnish dairy farmers. That puts the whole sustainable milk production chain, from the farms to the end products, in our hands. Our cows only mainly eat Finnish grass-based feed, not soy. Our goal is that by 2035, our milk production will be carbon neutral. We will achieve this by implementing several actions; among them, our dairy farms are already being used to sequester carbon, and we are utilising manure in biogas production.
The carbon footprint of Valio’s milk is less than half that of the worldwide average. Our emission reduction targets to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees have been certified by the Science Based Targets initiative. These are significant reductions throughout Valio’s production chain, from the dairy farm to the store shelves: the emission reduction target for milk is 50% on the farm level, 47% on the plant level, and 28% on the milk collection logistics level by 2030, compared to the levels in 2019.