Gnosis by Lesaffre on nutrition megatrends, digitization, and science-based product development

Gnosis by Lesaffre is shifting its focus toward insight-driven nutrition solutions, looking to solve key health challenges with advanced technology. Nutrition Insight meets with Ulrich Irgens, the company’s general manager, who highlights emerging trends, future focuses, and the importance of science and sustainability in new product development.

Irgens explains that the company is expanding investments in “understanding the needs in health benefit areas when we talk to doctors, consumers, or patients, and focus on how to solve that job and why it is important to solve that job. Then fermentation, biotransformation, and all the other tools in our toolbox become solutions to that.”

Together with other experts, he sees weight management as one of three key health trends, suggesting the nutrition industry offers solutions to help consumers maintain weight loss. 

“Similarly, cognitive health is exploding, and sleep is top of mind,” he continues. “While it’s been around for a long time, there’s still a lot of innovation and demand. Then you go beyond sleep and into stress, mood, and anxiety; COVID-19 showed us that there’s a huge space here.”

He points to healthy aging as another megatrend. Although Gnosis by Lesaffre offers products in this space, Irgens says the company is determining its strategy and role in healthy aging products as he observes a shift toward longevity. “I’m not sure anyone knows what that means yet, so we’re trying to answer that question.” 

Being healthy is “almost a given,” he adds. “We live longer and know that we want to stay healthy when we get older. I think many solutions and products support consumers in achieving that outcome.”  

Irgens also sees an interest in going beyond healthy aging. “How do I live ten years longer? That’s a whole different challenge than just supporting healthy aging.”

Digitized diagnostics

There is a growing digitalization trend in the nutrition and health industries, with consumers having more access to diagnostics, such as microbiome stool testing, blood glucose levels, or sleep patterns. “There’s a universe forming around us that is feeding us with information,” says Irgens. 

He believes this trend will accelerate in the next five years, linking digitalization to consumer needs and the nutrition industry. “As an industry, I think we need to figure out how we tap into that, and can that drive part of our innovation? Could it drive product navigation?” 

We met with Ulrich Irgens at the recent Natural Products Expo West trade show.For example, he highlights an app in the wine industry that allows consumers to scan a bottle of wine and access feedback and evaluations from other consumers and an expert panel on its quality before purchasing a product. 

“Why couldn’t we have that in the human health industry? When I’m around 40 feet of shelf space, no one is helping me navigate products back to education,” he says. 

“Imagine if I could scan the products, and there would be an app that would help me with science, which has been validated by a clinical panel.” 

He also suggests linking such an app to consumers’ health information to determine whether a product would benefit them. 

Scientific investments and communication

Irgens says that Gnosis by Lesaffre focuses on scientific substantiation for its products, as well as credible and transparent communication and education.

“It also means that when you fail scientifically, you have to be transparent and honest about that so everyone around us can learn from the insights we generate,” he says. “It’s about investing in education and supporting our partners.” 

“We invest quite a bit in product brands and encourage our customers to use them because it gives us a platform to communicate in a way that supports our customers. Last year, I think we did 350 trademark license agreements.”

At the same time, he highlights that B2B companies typically have much smaller marketing budgets than consumer-facing brands. Therefore, he stresses it is important to invest in content and education at trade shows and conferences and also in social media. 

There is a growing digitalization trend in nutrition, with consumers having more access to diagnostics and information on health needs.Sustainability focus

Additionally, Irgens says that sustainability is crucial at Gnosis by Lesaffre, pointing to three different levels. 

“The backbone, simple level, is how we manufacture — making sure that we are efficient, reduce water use, are better in wastewater treatment, and reduce our CO2 footprint. We invest a lot in optimization, with the benefit of sustainability.”

“Then sustainability can come in what we produce,” Irgens adds. “For example, at the end of last year, we launched a product called Landkind Salidroside. This is the active compound of rhodiola. Rhodiola is on the endangered species list, so you’re no longer meant to harvest that.” 

He stresses the importance of sustainably reproducing compounds from nature, whether linked to animals or plants, to ensure the company doesn’t harvest, misuse, or overuse natural resources. 

“Thirdly, we are heading toward a place where we begin to ask ourselves, are the benefits we are addressing related to sustainability?” Irgens continues. 

“At the moment, we’re all talking about microplastic as a major challenge. It’s coming into our bloodstreams, into our major organs. Are there solutions? We could imagine that one day, we create a microorganism that metabolizes microplastic and gets rid of it. By that, you have a sustainability outcome that’s a direct benefit of your product.” 

“I would say we are very good at the first layer. We are exploiting that second layer; the third layer is still ahead of us,” he concludes.