The company said the new format is in response to parents’ desire for greater convenience and ease when preparing formula milk feeds.
Gustavo Hildenbrand, general manager UK & Ireland, Danone Specialized Nutrition, said, “Breastmilk is the gold standard when it comes to feeding babies. But if parents feel they need to move on from breastmilk, they tell us they’re looking for ways to make a formula milk feed simpler and more convenient.”
According to research conducted in 2018 with more than 1,300 UK mothers, ‘convenient for feeding-on-the-go’ was the second most important criterion mums cited. And 31% said they looked for ‘greater convenience when preparing a formula feed.’
Danone said the new formula milk tabs dissolve easily, with one tab equal to one standard scoop of powdered formula. The new pre-measured tab format will be made available in packs of 24 sachets, with each sachet containing five tabs. Danone expects the new format to help reduce mess when preparing a formula feed, making the new format useful – in particular for night-time feeds.
Besides allowing for more accurate measurement and less waste, the new format helps provide extra reassurance – in particular for parents who favor formats that emphasize hygiene. The new format will be available exclusively via the UK retailer, Boots, under the Aptamil brand.
“We hope bringing to market formula milk in a pre-measured tab format will offer added convenience and support for formula feeding parents – especially in the ‘new normal,’ when parents are often stretched and trying to juggle balancing family and work-life from home,” Hildenbrand added.
Danone is producing the tabs at its formula milk production facility in Wexford, Ireland, through a manufacturing partnership with Japanese food manufacture, Meiji.
The exclusive memorandum of understanding between Danone and Meiji covers the production of the format innovation through which Danone is combining its formula milk recipes with Meiji’s patented tab-production technology.
Jean-Michel Lequin, director of Danone’s Wexford, Ireland, formula milk production facility, said, “At Danone, we’ve seen how in other food categories – like coffee and culinary stocks – introducing portion controlled and dosed formats has been a game changer for consumers, who look for more convenience and ease. That’s why we’ve worked with Meiji to set up a production line for pre-measured formula milk tabs at Danone’s formula milk production facility in Wexford, Ireland to serve the UK market.”
Lequin added, “By installing Meiji’s tab production technology at Danone’s formula milk facility here in Wexford, Ireland, Danone can source and produce formula milk in this new format locally for the UK market, and that helps reduce our carbon footprint.”
Following the launch in the UK, Danone plans to begin offering this new format in other countries in Europe in 2022.