At FrieslandCampina Ingredients, delivering high quality nutrition is both a passion and a specialism. With a history in early life nutrition stemming back over 75 years, a unique range of ingredient solutions and broad experience to tap into, we’re proud of our commitment to deliver ingredients for babies, children and their mums during the most important months and years of their lives.
A new era in milk oligosaccharide diversity: unlock the power of GOSDownload the whitepaper to discover breakthrough insights into the structural diversity of milk oligosaccharides – and how it can help you create infant milk formula with innovative added benefits.
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Functional yoghurts: supercharge every spoonfulThe yoghurt aisle is transforming – are you keeping up with the shift toward functional solutions that meet the evolving demands of children? Address top parental concerns and tap into the growing children’s health market with efficacious early life nutrition ingredients.
Our early life nutrition ingredients are for children of every age – not just infants. Step Up Nutrition is a cross-category portfolio of solutions specifically designed to support the development and well-being of kids aged three and up. It addresses five key areas: growth & development, immune function, cognitive function, mental health and gut health. We have developed a range of applications to inspire innovation in this often-overlooked category and to appeal to a rapidly growing market.
Nurturing infant gut health for lifelong wellbeing
Good gut health in infancy leads to a lifetime of health benefits. Discover how the magic of the gut microbiome can support immunity, digestive comfort, brain development and healthy growth of infants.
Read moreImmune health
Immunity is critical throughout life, but especially in the early years, when the immune system needs to be built up for long and healthy living. Immune health is a top priority for parents of babies and children, and nutrition plays an important role in supporting it.
Read moreDigestive comfort
Digestive health for babies is in the spotlight. Discover how parental demand for digestive comfort can be met with ingredients that nourish the gut microbiota and assist digestion in the still immature infant gut.
Read moreBrain development and emotional wellbeing
The first year of life is a time of momentous development for babies. Infant brain development is fast: babies start to explore their world from birth and are initiating social interactions by six months.
Read moreHealthy growth
Between the ages of one and five, children change rapidly as they develop vital motor and cognitive skills. In these early years, adequate uptake of minerals such as iron and calcium is important for healthy growth.
Read moreAllergy care
Food allergies are on the rise, so there’s a growing need to reduce the risk of their development, and diagnose and manage them properly when avoiding them isn’t possible.
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FrieslandCampina Ingredients Early Life Nutrition Goes Organic
Read moreFrieslandCampina Ingredients opens new lactoferrin production facility
Read moreMicro-encapsulating LCPUFAs: what makes GEA FILTERMAT technology stand out
Read moreWe’re a large family of passionate ingredient specialists. We’re determined to bring forward the future of early life nutrition by inspiring, collaborating and innovating. But always with the reassurance of robust scientific backing.
The first 1,000 days of life – from conception to a child’s second birthday – are a crucial window for growth and development. During this time, nutrition plays a key role in shaping everything from immunity to cognitive function. Beyond infancy, getting the right nutrients is essential for supporting healthy growth in children of all ages, as they develop rapidly.
Yes, the early life nutrition market presents a significant opportunity for innovation. Part of this is down to consumers’ growing awareness of the importance of the right nutrition to give their children a great start in life. They’re also recognising that nutritional support doesn’t stop at two years of age – older children have different but equally important needs, which have typically been overlooked. Immunity and cognitive development are key areas of growth, with parents seeking nutritional solutions to help their children fight infections and reach developmental milestones.
Ingredient innovation means that infant formula provides a trusted, high-quality option for giving infants a great start in life. Formulation with lactoferrin, MFGM and galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) helps to address top parental concerns surrounding infant gut health, immunity and cognitive function, and are increasingly being recognised as go-to ingredients for infant milk formula.
Lactoferrin, MFGM and galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) are well-studied, with a growing body of evidence supporting their safety and efficacy. Regulatory approvals vary by region. For example Vivinal® MFGM was approved for use in Thailand in 2025. Our ingredients consistently meet the highest standards of safety and compliance, giving parents peace of mind.
Galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) are the most widely used oligosaccharides in infant formula. FrieslandCampina Ingredients’ GOS ingredients are the most studied prebiotic in the world – recognised for their positive influence on infant gut health and the gut microbiome in general.
Ben, X.-M., Li, J., Feng, Z.-T., Shi, Z.-Y., Lu, Y.-D., Chen, R., & Zhou, X.-Y. (2008). Low level of galacto-oligosaccharide in infant formula stimulates growth of intestinal Bifidobacteria and Lactobacilli. World Journal of Gastroenterology, 14(42), 6564. https://doi.org/10.3748/wjg.14.6564
In early life, health benefits include improved stool consistency,
Sierra, C., Bernal, M.-J., Blasco, J., Martínez, R., Dalmau, J., Ortuño, I., Espín, B., Vasallo, M.-I., Gil, D., Vidal, M.-L., Infante, D., Leis, R., Maldonado, J., Moreno, J.-M., & Román, E. (2014). Prebiotic effect during the first year of life in healthy infants fed formula containing GOS as the only prebiotic: a multicentre, randomised, double-blind and placebo-controlled trial. European Journal of Nutrition, 54(1), 89–99. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-014-0689-9
enhanced mineral absorption
Paganini, D., Uyoga, M. A., Cercamondi, C. I., Moretti, D., Mwasi, E., Schwab, C., Bechtler, S., Mutuku, F. M., Galetti, V., Lacroix, C., Karanja, S., & Zimmermann, M. B. (2017). Consumption of galacto-oligosaccharides increases iron absorption from a micronutrient powder containing ferrous fumarate and sodium iron EDTA: A stable-isotope study in Kenyan infants. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. https://doi.org/10.3945/ajcn.116.145060
and the potential to impact emotional well-being into adulthood, too.
Johnstone, N., Milesi, C., Burn, O., van den Bogert, B., Nauta, A., Hart, K., Sowden, P., Burnet, P. W. J., & Cohen Kadosh, K. (2021). Anxiolytic effects of a galacto-oligosaccharides prebiotic in healthy females (18–25 years) with corresponding changes in gut bacterial composition. Scientific Reports. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-87865-w
We work with partners across the infant, toddler and child categories to deliver safe, science-backed and effective ingredients for the early life nutrition market. Working side by side with customers, we provide technical and regulatory support, sustainability guidance, application expertise and scientific substantiation, to help bring products to market quickly and efficiently.
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