By 2050 there will be two billion people aged 60 or older, and many will be willing to invest in healthy food products that help them stay active, energetic, alert and enjoy the good things in life, such as the pleasure of food. They need functional foods designed to meet the specific needs of the body as it ages, foods with more protein and vitamins.
With Valio’s pure Nordic dairy ingredients and innovations, food manufacturers can add the benefits of phospholipids supporting cognitive health to create desirable functional food products made for the healthy aging market. Case in point: Valio Eila® Nutri F+.
Valio Eila® Nutri F+ is the only lactose free ingredient that is also high in milk protein. It also contains the phospholipids, vitamins, and minerals required to fulfil the key nutritional needs of older adults, including maintaining muscle mass and bones and contributing to brain health.
We have successfully tested Valio Eila™ Nutri F+ in a wide variety of applications, including:
The expanding elderly population and their wellbeing provides great potential for the food industry.
The decline in sensory abilities often makes it difficult for aging adults to taste food, which is why the taste and texture require special emphasis when developing food for them. Valio Eila™ Nutri F+ powder gives products a pleasant, rich taste and full texture, helping our customers to make their products desirable for the aging foodies.
“Out of all industries, I believe that the food and nutrition industries have perhaps the most significant means to ensure healthy aging. As consumers, older adults could be described as foodies with emphasis on healthiness. We make about 200 food-related choices every day, so there is plenty of opportunity to nudge older adults towards better food choices”, says Dr Anu Turpeinen, Nutrition Research Manager, Research and Innovations at Valio.
With the right innovations, the food industry can make their products desirable for mid-to-late-life consumers, just as the beauty and personal care industry has done previously.
The Valio Food Solutions team is standing by. We have Nobel prize winning innovation, and we know milk. Our R&D team of 100 experts, including our nutrition experts, is ready to assist you in developing products, optimizing processes, and improving any nutritional features of your products.
At Valio, we have discovered that there are five important points you should take into consideration when developing nutritional products for the elderly.
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