Company insight
The grain that supports the body and the mind
There are plenty of products out there that promise to bolster a consumer’s physical health – but far fewer can dovetail with a broader range of mental and environmental advantages. Ingredients Insight talks to insiders at Fazer Foodtech to learn more.
utritionists and consumers have become deeply invested in how ingredients can nourish both the body and mind. And if the list of potential options is rising at speed, one of the most intriguing areas of research involves oats. Encompassing a range of products, and an even larger range of uses, these cereals could vastly improve both physical and mental health – and if made correctly can even support the planet, too.
N Cream of the crop
While Fazer Foodtech is the latest addition to Fazer Lifestyle Foods, launched in April 2021, Fazer has been at the heart of Nordic food culture for generations. Founded in 1891, the Helsinki-based food company has since become a household name across the region. But as Jenny Andersson Collby explains, the family-owned business is
“In our team, we are able to work with projects that have long-term developments,” says Marika Laaksonen, Fazer’s lead in health research. “We network nationally and internationally with the best research teams.” That’s shadowed by strong institutional links: in 2019, for instance, the European Investment Bank lent Fazer €40m for research and development. These strong foundations prove their worth when you examine Fazer Foodtech’s range of products – especially when it comes to oats. Consider Fazer Oat Beta Glucan BG20. Increasing viscosity in the gut, and thereby preventing the body from absorbing cholesterol, the product can be a robust ally in the fight against heart disease. The same is true of Fazer Oat Xylitol, a natural sugar-free sweetener that induces a lower blood glucose jump compared with regular sugary foods.
“In our team, we are able to work with projects that have long-term developments. We network nationally and internationally with the best research teams.”
Marika Laaksonen
always looking for ways to innovate. “That’s what consumers want,” she stresses. Her point is supported by the figures. According to recent work by Ipsos, almost nine in ten European consumers have used food supplements at some point in their lives – a perfect backdrop for the arrival of Fazer Foodtech into the sector. With Collby as its director of marketing communications, the brand is quickly revolutionising ingredients everywhere from plant-based proteins to natural sweeteners.
As Collby implies – and her colleagues confirm – much of this success can be explained by Fazer Foodtech’s heritage.
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At the same time, Fazer’s oat products can support gut health. That’s clear, for example, with regard to Fazer Oat Protein OP20, which can help maintain digestive health thanks to its wealth of fibre. Just as important, Fazer’s products are versatile enough to complement a range of foods, as their mild tastes partner well with chocolate, protein bars and pasta, among other options. Fazer Foodtech is also deeply curious about the growing links between physical and mental well-being. A case in point is Fazer Brainhow, a long-running research and development project that Laaksonen describes as an attempt to understand the
“synergistic effects” between food, sleep and exercise on cognitive health. Laaksonen offers the examples of Fazer Oat Beta Glucan BG20 and Fazer Oat Xylitol, both of which can help control the blood glucose levels. Laaksonen explains the brain doesn’t have its own energy supply, but instead relies on support from the bloodstream – which glucose offers in droves.
Going against the grain If Fazer’s oat products are one field that company leaders are conscious of market demands, environmentalism is surely another. As Jussi Loponen says, sustainability is currently “a big consumer trend” across his industry. Examining the statistics confirms
Fazer’s vice-president of research and development’s point. As a recent study by EY uncovered, 84% of people now believe that sustainability is important when making purchase decisions. Fortunately, Loponen and his colleagues are excelling here, too. For one thing, Fazer’s xylitol is manufactured from oat husks, which would otherwise be thrown out as waste. For another, any leftover material from the manufacturing process is used to fuel a biopower plant at Fazer’s xylitol factory in Lahti, a city close to Helsinki, further contributing to what Loponen calls a “circular economic system”. Combined with other industry-leading sustainability efforts – for instance, the fact that all of Fazer’s oats are sourced locally – and it makes sense that Laaksonen should be keen to highlight her company’s “fearless creativity”. Given everything she and her team have achieved so far, you have to imagine it’s a line that will serve Fazer Foodtech in future too. ●
www.fazerfoodtech.com 39
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