Arla Foods Ingredients asks for more dairy in food aid

Arla Foods Ingredients has highlighted the need for a global industry push to ensure dairy ingredients are included as an integral part of emergency food programmes. Ingredients derived from milk tend not to be included in such programmes – including the United Nation’s World Food Programme, which fights hunger in the developing world – because of concerns over their cost.

The company is funding research into the benefits of whey protein and permeate in a bid to demonstrate that dairy ingredients are affordable and superior because they are so nutritionally dense. This means smaller quantities can be used compared with alternatives such as vegetable proteins. In addition, dairy ingredients can be blended with proteins of other sources to create food aid products that offer excellent all-round nutrition.

However, Arla Foods Ingredients says a collective industry effort is required to show that dairy ingredients can be an economical option, because for ingredients to be accepted and approved by emergency food programmes they must be available worldwide.

Henrik Jørgen Andersen, senior R&D manager at Arla Foods Ingredients, says, “Even though we are an international business, we don’t operate in every region that benefits from aid initiatives like the World Food Programme. This means the global dairy ingredients industry must stand together to make sure we can deliver affordable high quality products in every geography touched by these programmes.”

Arla Foods Ingredients showcased its work in this area at the recent International Whey Conference in the Netherlands. Ingredients such as whey and permeate are ideal for use in, for example, ready-to-eat products designed to address moderate malnutrition. They are typically produced as a paste that’s packed with nutrients and easy to consume.