Listen to this articleNestlé Health Science is celebrating five years of innovation at its global research and development hub in Bridgewater.
Co-located at the company’s U.S. headquarters on Route 202, the Nestlé Product Technology Center serves as the lead product tech facility, leveraging research efforts from other sites to bring advanced science-based nutritional solutions to consumers, patients and health care professionals.
Home to more than 170 employees, the $70 million facility is equipped with advanced capabilities across the R&D lifecycle – from ideation and rapid prototyping to sensory science, production and commercialization.
The NPTC also plays a critical role in advancing the company’s goal to reduce packaging and produce lighter weight products, part of Nestlé’s global ambition to make 100% of packaging recyclable or reusable by 2025.
A subsidiary of the Swiss food and beverage giant, Nestlé Health Science is a leader in the field of nutritional science, with a wide range of brands supporting every life stage, from pediatrics to healthy aging. Its portfolio includes Boost, Carnation Breakfast Essentials, Vital Proteins, Garden of Life and Nature’s Bounty, as well as pharmaceutical therapies to prevent, manage and treat gastrointestinal and metabolic-related diseases.
NHSc Global Head of Product Technology and Development and Head of R&D for the U.S. Rania Abou Samra said, “The NPTC team has played a pivotal role in fostering innovation and addressing the ever-changing needs of consumers and patients. Our efforts have positioned Nestlé Health Science as a leading force in the field of nutrition, effectively translating scientific advancements into groundbreaking products. With our state-of-the-art facility and talented individuals, we have achieved significant milestones in the past five years and look forward to more exciting developments on the horizon.”
“At the NPTC, we embrace an agile and entrepreneurial mindset, leveraging the ‘fail fast, move forward’ approach. Through the use of small-scale manufacturing in our pilot plants, we have been able to produce products that are safe, compliant, and more convenient for consumers to test breakthrough innovations,” she said.
Within the past five years, the company’s initiatives include the September 2019 launch of a rapid ideation and prototyping function that enables the team to create new concepts and test them with consumers, which has expedited product development and market introduction, she said.
In June 2022, the company established a Centers of Excellence for various doses and forms of products that has Abou Samra said “have given us the expertise we need to develop new products, such as solid dose supplements and enjoyable forms of nutrition.”
It also developed an accelerator program in September 2022 for quick test and learn launches of breakthrough innovations, as well as recently collaborated with the Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, through its Food & Nutrition Innovation Institute on an initiative to accelerate innovation in longevity and healthy aging.
Among the many innovations credited to the NPTC include changes to Boost Kid Essentials to reduce sugar, remove artificial colors and simplify ingredients; and helping launch certified organic tube feeding formula brand Compleat Organic Blends. Its efforts have also led to the development of new formulas for Boost and Carnation Breakfast Essentials, providing more protein.
Other products created through NPTC support include a plant-based tube feeding formula, a line of dietary supplements centered around cellular nutrition and a time release melatonin gummy.
Abou Samra believes the NPTC “is poised for a promising and exciting future.”
“Our commitment to agility ensures that we can effectively respond to evolving patient and consumer needs and drive innovation across all categories. With a focus on emerging trends like AI, healthy aging and longevity, and sustainability, our team will continue to lead in key technologies,” she said.
