Achieving functional food security that is good for the health of the people and the health of the earth 

KosmodeHealth Singapore proudly announces its triumphant win of “The Most Transformational Collaboration” at the prestigious 2023 SICC Awards, in collaboration with Nestlé Singapore Pte Ltd and Nestlé R&D Center Pte Ltd. This esteemed award recognizes the groundbreaking partnership in repurposing Spent Barley Grains into W0W®noodle, a revolutionary functional food designed for blood sugar management. 

“This year’s winner of the SICC Most Transformational Collaboration Award really provides each of us with a masterclass in collaborative innovation and demonstrates the power of transformative sustainability coupled with responsible leadership. KosmodeHealth Singapore and its collaborators Nestlé Singapore Pte Ltd and Nestlé R&D Centre Pte Ltd came together to transform Spent Barley Grains into high protein & fibre ingredients for better human nutrition. They took what was traditionally an unused food side stream and transformed it into something beneficial. A true, transformative example of a circular model of production. It is easy to see why the judges awarded these collaborators.” Mr Victor Mills, Chief Executive, Singapore International Chamber of Commerce. 

Transformational significance of the award-winning collaboration: 

1. Repurposing Spent Barley Grains: KosmodeHealth spearheaded an innovative initiative to repurpose Spent Barley Grains, a food side stream generated after malt production in collaboration with Nestlé Singapore and Nestlé R&D Centre in Singapore. This collaboration involves the supply of wet Spent Barley Grain by Nestlé and the valorization of Spent Barley Grains into Barley Protein Fibre powder by a proprietary extraction process of KosmodeHealth.

2. Functional Food Innovation – W0W®noodle: The Barley Protein Fiber powder is the key ingredient in the formulation of W0W®noodle, a high protein & fibre food developed for blood sugar management. The formulation of W0W®noodle, clinically proven to ‘not move a needle’ in blood sugar levels, proves that staple food can be elevated to ‘Food is Medicine” category. 

3. A Blueprint for Sustainable Functional Food: The repurposing of Spent Barley Grains into W0W®noodle is an example of how feeding more than 9 billion population in 2050 without having to produce more food & wrecking the planet can be achieved simply by extracting nutrients from food side streams that are mostly dumped into landfills or at best upcycled into animal feeds. 

“This collaboration aims to serve as a blueprint that can be replicated in developing countries. I hope this Award will raise awareness on the value of food processing wastes and encourage food manufacturers to harness the wastes generated to feed their population and address food security concerns.” said Ms Florence Leong, Co-Founder, KosmodeHealth Singapore. 

Mr Guglielmo Bonora, R&D Centre Head for ASEAN at Nestlé R&D Singapore, added, “The AHA moment was when I tasted the W0W®noodle for the first time. I was struck by how good it tastes. Sharing a similar vision to better manage food side streams, we are excited to embark on this collaboration with KosmodeHealth to explore the possibility to extend the Barley Protein Fibre powder for use in various types of products to hopefully enhance the value of nutrition and sustainability.” 

About Kosmode Health Singapore Pte Ltd

KosmodeHealth, a Deep Tech Spin-off from the Food & Science Technology Department of the National University incubated at NUS Enterprise, is a health-focused company incorporated to expand access to health from nature. It aims to achieve its mission by repurposing Food Processing Wastes into functional ingredients for the development of functional food for blood sugar control in the Agrifood industry and into functional materials for 3D cell culture in the Biomedical Industry. KosmodeHealth is pushing the boundary of food processing waste management to go beyond upcycling to value maximization and elevate the role of food beyond sustenance to ‘Food is Medicine.”

About W0W®noodle 

W0W®noodle, the world’s only functional food clinically validated to have 0 Glycemic Response, is a sustainable Asian staple food developed for blood sugar control. Made from Barley Protein & Fibre powder, valorised from Spent Barley Grains, it is good for the health of the people and health of the world. 

About Nestlé Singapore Pte Ltd 

As the leading food, nutrition, health, and wellness company, Nestlé is the provider of the best food for any time of day and for any time of consumers’ lives. Nestlé has grown to become the world’s largest food company, offering more than 8,500 brands and 10,000 products. With its headquarters in Vevey, Switzerland, Nestlé has more than 456 factories spread over 80 countries and employs more than 283,000 people. 

About Nestlé R&D Centre Singapore

Nestlé R&D Centre Singapore is responsible for the product development of NESCAFÉ White Coffee Cup and MILO globally and the Ambient Culinary business regionally. It also provides regional R&D support to Nestlé Asian and Oceania businesses. In addition to its R&D role, the Nestlé Quality Assurance Center (NQAC) also ensures quality assurance of products for the region. 

About the SICC Awards

Launched in 2015, the annual SICC Awards are built on the conviction that collaboration is often the quickest way for companies from all sectors and of all sizes to innovate, grow, and sustain themselves. This is why SICC supports Enterprise Singapore’s PACT (Partnership for Capability Transformation) programme. These awards are meaningful because they not only celebrate and recognize successful commercial collaborations but also enable everyone to learn from the experiences of fellow businesspeople. That learning component is key and is delivered in an annual TV programme staring our award winners entitled “Collaborate to Innovate” on Channel NewsAsia. The Chamber hopes each year’s worthy winners inspire other companies to understand the benefits of collaboration and to embark on their own collaboration journeys.