Fine Foods' commitment to a sustainable future was shown at Vitafoods Europe

Fine Foods was at the Geneva event to share how it creates value for its stakeholders through innovation.

Again this year Fine Foods & Pharmaceuticals N.T.M. S.p.A., an independent Italian Contract Development & Manufacturing Organisation (CDMO) that develops and manufactures contract products for the pharmaceutical, nutraceutical and cosmetics industries, participated at Geneva Vitafoods - the event for the nutraceutical supply chain that attracts an international audience.

Divided between exhibition section, conferences and networking events, Vitafoods is a perfect venue for companies unveiling the latest products and services, sharing and comparing strategies on emerging health and nutrition issues.

Sustainability is increasingly important to the international community, consumers and major players in the nutraceutical industry: Vitafoods recognises the importance of promoting sustainability within events and throughout the industry to make operators responsible and helping the nutraceutical and functional food market improve its sustainability approach by connecting people through the networks and knowledge needed to solve these challenges.

At stand A50 in Hall1, visitors learnt about Fine Foods' commitment to sustainability - a product innovation driver - and how the Group puts the cus- tomer at the heart of its choices by sharing the same drive for success.

Fine Foods works side by side with its customers as a strategic partner by developing tailor-made services and suggesting more sustainable solutions, to create products of excellence capable of achieving end-consumer approval and a positive market response. Vitafoods was an opportunity to highlight Fine Foods' decade-long holistic approach to ESG issues, and some of its important milestones including its change into a benefit corporation in 2021. This confirmed the Group's commitment to pursuing common benefits for people and the community it operates in in addition to profits.

In 2022, Fine Foods obtained the "Platinum" sustainability rating from EcoVadis, one of the bestknown ESG rating providers, which placed Fine Foods in the top one per cent of more than 90,000 companies assessed.

Its business model creates value for the company, customers, investors, the environment and people, and undergoes an annual assessment to improve environmental, social and governance performances. Fine Foods' commitment to sustainability is all-encompassing. This includes a service dedicated to cus- tomers which provides a wide range of initiatives through a cross-functional team specialising in ecodesign and product lifecycle analysis to create more sustainable solutions and successfully differentiate products in the market.

Another key factor to remain competitive in the market is innovation. About 17 per cent of Fine Foods' staff are dedicated to scientific and technical activities and approximately seven per cent of turnover is invested in new technologies annually.

An innovation-focused team in the Research and Development department is supported by a crossfunctional team that meets regularly to ensure that the new product development pipeline flows correctly.

Equally important is the acquisition of data and market information that, once analysed and processed, allow Fine Foods to provide products and services in line with the latest innovations and major industry trends.

Among the other activities that contributed to the success of Fine Foods' participation in the Geneva event was the “The dark side of the moon” presentation, which illustrated the cultural change that CDMOs are facing - from production companies to product innovators, able to anticipate consumer needs. Sustainability becomes fundamental in the innovation process supporting customer success and having a positive impact on the planet.

As sustainable product innovation, Fine Foods unveiled the "Fine Foods for Future" food supplement in the "New Product Zone". This was formulated fol- lowing eco-design principles, which allowed a 43 per cent reduction in carbon emissions compared to the original, generating a positive impact on climate change which is reported on product packaging and communication materials. This was selected to be part of the "Innovation Tours" organised by Vitafoods to show visitors the latest products and how leading suppliers are responding to market trends.

Vitafoods was the stage for two additional product launches:

• Biotic3 - an orodispersible powdered food supplement. This is an easy-to-take on-the-go formula that combines prebiotics, probiotics and postbiotics in a holistic approach to intestinal well-being due to the product's dual action - in situ and the entire body.

• Fizzy & Fast Tablets practical take-with-you tablets that fizz and dissolve directly on the tongue without water, a fun format for adults and children that allows for the fast release of nutrients.

Fine Foods & Pharmaceuticals N.T.M. S.p.A.

Via Berlino, 39 24040 Zingonia/Verdellino – Bergamo – Italy www.finefoods.it info@finefoods.it