Dairy-derived functional foods the main goal of €21m investment

Health-focused dairy products are the key focus of a second term of funding worth €21m for the functional foods technology centre Food for Health Ireland, based in UCC.

Details of the investment were unveiled at yesterday’s first Technology Centres Expo, hosted by Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland in Leopardstown, Dublin.

The Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, through Enterprise Ireland, will invest €16m in Food for Health Ireland, with the other €5m coming from the firms involved in the Food for Health Ireland research centre: Dairygold, Carbery, Glanbia, Kerry Group, and the Irish Dairy Board.

Food for Health Ireland’s research ‘mines’ milk to identify bioactive ingredients to develop functional foods which offer health benefits to consumers. It is increasing its focus on infant nutrition, healthy cheese, sports drinks, ‘healthy aging’ drinks, and products that can be used to manage type-2 diabetes and obesity.

CEO Jens Bleiel said: “The first five-year term of FHI has shown, for example, how milk protein-based nutritional supplements can assist in the prevention of age-related muscle loss in people aged 50-70 years.

“We’ve also seen interesting results from our second human intervention study into the effects of a new milk-based ingredient on glycemic management in 40- to 65-year-olds that are either overweight but healthy, or have type-2 non-insulin dependent diabetes.”

Food for Health Ireland is one of 15 technology centres in the €100m technology centre programme supported by the Department of Jobs, along with Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland, and will employ 73 people.

More than 300 companies in Ireland are engaged with the 15 technology centres.

Jobs Minister Richard Bruton, said: “The food sector is a key sector targeted as part of the action plan for jobs. FHI is an excellent example of the commercial output that the Government expects from the other centres in the programme.”

Enterprise Ireland CEO Julie Sinnamon said Irish companies need to engage with the technology centres to introduce more innovative solutions to their business, reducing costs, and assisting in the development of new commercially viable products and services.