Arla Foods Ingredients has initiated a campaign to highlight the benefits of milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) beyond the infant formula category. The launch follows a Danish Veterinary and Food Administration ruling confirming that MFGM is not classified as a novel food in the EU. This allows for MFGM to be labeled clearly on products for infants and adults. 

Dubbed Whey360, the campaign aims to raise awareness about the company’s MFGM ingredients, which contain whey protein and are a complete source of essential amino acids, complex milk lipids (phospholipids and Omega-3 fatty acids), and other nutrients, notes Arla.

Additionally, the company says these ingredients are rich in vitamin B12, which can help address one of the major micronutrient deficiencies globally, and choline, which improves metabolic health.

“We’ve worked with MFGM in early-life nutrition for nearly two decades. It offers a powerful synergy between high-quality whey protein, complex milk lipids, vitamins, and micronutrients. It’s one of the most clinically documented ingredients in our infant nutrition portfolio, and increasingly, research is demonstrating benefits in other categories too,” says Henrik Jacob Hjortshøj, head of sales development, functional nutrition, at Arla Foods Ingredients.

“This campaign aims to communicate the huge potential that MFGM offers to create innovative functional nutrition products targeting adults, toddlers, and older children.”

MFGM occurs naturally in breast milk, and according to the Swedish-Danish multinational cooperative, the “multi-nutrient” can offer benefits at all life stages.

With more than half of the global adult population showing acceptance and interest in functional foods, Arla Food Ingredients aims to cater to the trend with three concepts featuring MFGM in functional nutrition products for children and adults. These include a squeezable cheese, a kids’ UHT drink, and high-protein drinking yogurt.

Additionally, three recipes aim to show how MFGM can create nutrient-rich small meals for toddlers. These include a drinkable fruit yogurt with a straw, a squeezable smoothie, and an instant porridge mix.

The campaign also highlights on-pack claims that MFGM can potentially offer, such as “high in protein,” “contains Omega-3,” “high B12 content,” and “contains milk phospholipids.”

“We’re now able to provide customers with clear documentation demonstrating that MFGM can be used in both food and infant nutrition applications, and we hope that many more will start declaring it on product labels. While this very welcome decision applies to the EU, it may also open doors in other markets and help raise consumer awareness of the benefits of MFGM globally,” says Hjortshøj.