Dairy Heavyweight Fonterra Will Open A New Research Centre In Ireland Soon

Dairy heavyweight Fonterra will open a new research centre in Ireland soon, with the aim of bringing several new probiotic strains for health and wellness products to market in the next five to 10 years. The centre is a partnership between Fonterra and APC Microbiome, a research centre at the University College of Cork and will be operational by the end of this year. Speaking at the International Dairy Federation summit in Chicago Fonterra chief executive Miles Hurrell says the human microbiome is the collection of all microbes, such as bacteria, fungi, viruses and their genes, that naturally live on, and in, human bodies and are so small but contribute in big ways to human health. The global health and wellness market is worth more than NZ$102 billion and growing 6 per cent a year. He says the global consumer class is forecast to grow by more than 100 million people per year through to 2030 with one in six people to be over 60 by 2030.