Fonterra innovation recognised at international dairy awards

Fonterra has won international recognition for a breakthrough reduced-salt Cheddar cheese, receiving the Best New Cheese Award at the prestigious International Dairy Federation (IDF) Innovation Awards last week in Salzburg.

The awards attracted over 170 entries from 29 countries in 12 categories and were designed to reward innovation and excellence in the global dairy industry.

“It’s such an honour to have won this award. To compete among the world’s leading cheese companies and walk away with this accolade is a real achievement, and recognises Fonterra’s leadership in developing nutritious dairy ingredients that respond to changing consumer needs,” says Fonterra’s Chief Technology Officer Dr Jeremy Hill.

Dr Hill said the product responds to consumer demand and calls from nutritionists and regulators for foods that are lower in sodium.

“Globally, we’re seeing a real trend among health-conscious consumers towards products that are lower in salt. At the same time, consumers tell us they aren’t willing to compromise on taste. In our new Savoury Cheddar, we’ve achieved a product with the full flavour and functionality of a standard Cheddar, but with 40% less salt.

“The secret of the innovation is changing the culturing process and nurturing the product through the ripening stage to ensure it delivers a well rounded savoury taste,” says Dr Hill.

The Savoury Cheddar has an equivalent shelf life to standard Cheddar and does not require freezing like traditional low salt cheese.

Dr Hill said the Company’s focus would now be on commercialising the product with its global Ingredients and Foodservice customers.

Fonterra is the world’s largest investor in dairy innovation, with 350 research and development staff based at its Palmerston North research centre where the Savoury Cheddar was developed.

Fonterra was also a finalist for the Best School Milk Initiative Award for its CalciYum - Adopt a Cow campaign in Australia.

CalciYum flavoured milk is designed to give school children a nutritious, great tasting flavoured milk. It is made with low fat milk, contains 50 per cent more calcium than regular flavoured milk*, has added Vitamin D to help with the absorption of calcium, and no artificial colours or flavours (*containing 118mg per 100mL).

Schools stocking CalciYum received access to the CalciYum - Adopt a Cow website, where students learned about the Australian dairy industry and could select their own cow from photos and profiles which contained herd details, the cow’s location and vital statistics supplied by Fonterra’s farmer suppliers.

The campaign contributed to a lift in CalciYum sales of almost 50 per cent with more than 100 schools and 30,000 Australian children receiving access to the online program.