As part of its commitment to roll out improved organic products this year, Arla Foods Ingredients will offer manufacturers the key to unlocking the potential in organic infant formula.

It will help companies produce organic, premium customized infant formulas from its Arinco plant in Videbaek, Denmark. This will allow interested partners an unconstrained supply of high quality milk, which can be used as both finished formulas and base powders.

The patented technology, called “ORIGIN by Arla Foods ingredients” helps those in the early life sectors bypass organic whey shortages and draw directly from Arla Foods Ingredients’ organic farms. The process allows proteins to be extracted from fresh milk using filtration technology. This fully integrated process allows a “milk-to-can” approach, without using additives in milk streams and was first introduced in November 2021.

Steen Lyck, Commercial Director, Child Nutrition Manufacturing at Arla Foods Ingredients, said: “ORIGIN by Arla Foods Ingredients is a significant step forward for infant formula brand owners. With our patented technology that obtains ingredients from fresh, organic milk at consistently higher quality, infant formula brand owners can finally capture the exciting potential of premium organic infant formula. In terms of certifications, our organic infant formula already has EU and Chinese organic approvals.”

Henrik Andersen, CEO of Arla Foods Ingredients, said: “As science-based innovators we are driven to invent and reinvent our processes to ensure we have the best possible products available and continue to lead the way in whey.

“Traditional cheesemaking demands significant quantities of organic raw milk to produce the volumes of whey needed to meet demand. Now that we’re not reliant on this, we can significantly increase production. And because all the milk we use comes from just a few Arla farms, we’re able to offer greater clarity around provenance.”

Organic products are leading growth in the global infant formula market, and is expected to increase by 10% over the next five years. The demand for organic whey and lactose is increasing, however there is insufficient availability of infant-grade organic raw materials.

Arla Foods Ingredients released its first organic ingredient, MicelPure™, an organic micellar casein isolate in August 2020.