Arla pushes for industry collaboration to include dairy products in food aid

Arla Foods Ingredients has stressed the importance of including dairy products in emergency food programmes, and has called for industry collaboration to make it a reality.

The company said that dairy products are usually not included in programmes such as the UN’s world food programme, which works on tackling food problems in developing countries, because of cost-related concerns.

Arla is currently funding research on the benefits of whey protein to show that dairy ingredients are affordable and superior because of their nutrition density. This means they can be used in smaller quantities compared to alternatives such as vegetable proteins.

In addition, dairy ingredients can be used with proteins of other sources to create food aid products that are rich in nutrition.

However, Arla has said that there is a need for the industry to come together.

Arla Foods Ingredients senior R&D manager Henrik Jørgen Andersen said: "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.

"Consequently, only if other major dairy ingredients companies join us in this effort can we succeed in persuading the organisers of food aid programmes that our products have a key role to play in the war on hunger.

The company recently showcased its research at the International Whey conference in the Netherlands, where it said that ingredients like whey and permeate are suitable for use in ready-to-eat products that are designed to address moderate malnutrition. They are typically produced as a paste that is packed with nutrients and is easy to consume.

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Image: Arla Foods Ingredients wants dairy products to be part of emergency food programmes. Photo: courtesy of Arla Food Ingredients.