Infant nutrition

New solutions for the baby food industry

18.8.2022

There is no group of customers more demanding than the baby food industry, and for a very good reason. From new-borns to toddlers, babies require balanced nutrition for growth and development.

This sensitive stage in life also requires our vigilance in terms of purity and food safety. Customer Developement Manager Judith Wang tells us; “We at Valio recognize and understand the unique nutritional requirements of babies, and we put our hearts into producing the best ingredients and products for our most demanding customers – global baby food industry.”

Judith Wang also reminds us that regulations around the world are very strict when it comes to ingredients and products for babies. “All of the raw materials we use are safe and follow the existing standards for baby food. Valio is committed to using only the freshest, purest and best ingredients. We source our milk responsibly from our own Finnish dairy farmers. The use of genetically modified GMO feed is not permitted*, and our own raw materials are fully traceable back to the farm.”

“We offer the possibility to order highly customised solutions tailored to meet each customer’s specific requirements.”

Meeting new demands

MFGM and phospholipids in general have been the focus of intensive discussion during the last years. A growing number of food manufacturers are looking to harness the benefits of phospholipids when creating dietary products for infants. “We are happy to help our customers to understand how they can be used in baby food manufacturing to develop new products and enter new markets.”

There is also an increase in demand for value added solutions like organic or lactose free especially for toddlers between the ages of one and three. “Infants and toddlers around the world have special needs and requirements concerning nutrition, and we pride ourselves in having the knowhow, experience and ingredients to address them,” Judith Wang points out. “We have been involved with the development of high-quality baby food solutions already since the 1960s. Also our unique Valio Eila® lactose free milk powders allow us to address market need perfectly. Our production process ensures that the products truly contain no trace of lactose that could be detected with the most accurate measurement technologies available.”

Knowing your customers

In today’s world, customers often require varying degrees of customization in the solutions they buy from us. While Valio already produces infant grade ingredients and infant formula base powders with recipes that meet the regulatory and nutritional requirements of specific markets, we also offer the possibility to order highly customised solutions tailored to meet each customer’s specific requirements.

To best serve our customers, we must know and understand them. This applies to both the nutritional needs of babies and the specific needs of our customers. Judith Wang sums up Valio’s offering of Baby Food Solutions perfectly. “We co-operate closely with our customers to ensure their satisfaction. We have solutions to help them with balanced infant nutrition products. What we can offer ranges from infant grade ingredients to consumer-packaged products. It really is up to what the customer wants and needs.”

*ref Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003 and No 1830/2003

What’s new in milk fat and infant nutrition?

After watching our webinar, you’ll be able to harness the latest research findings on MFGM and natural OPO for developing optimal food products for infants.

Get your recording here

The fat similarity index — evidence supporting the use of cow’s milk fat in infant formula.

In this episode of Expert insights, Valio’s research specialist Anu Turpeinen explains the similarities between cow’s milk fat and breast milk — and why infant formula makers would benefit from using cow’s milk fat as the ingredient.

Watch the episode

Podcast: Harness the business potential of milk phospholipids

Valio’s Nutrition Research Manager Anu Turpeinen fills you in on the importance of phospholipids in early life and how they can be used in food manufacturing to develop new products and enter new markets.