Natural ingredients supplier Cognis, recently sold off by Henkel and acquired by a consortium of financial investors, announced in September that the Nutrition & Health business unit had recorded sales of €149m with a growth rate of nine per cent.
In a recent statement, Paul Allen, group vice president of Nutrition & Health, said: "Our stated optimism about the growth potential for plant-derived sterols has been justified. It is based on two main factors. First, the strengthening of our market position through our new production facility at Boussens, near Toulouse, in addition to our existing capacity in Illinois." Allen claims that Boussens is the largest stand-alone phytosterols facility in the world. "Second, are the benefits that sterols provide in food and pharmaceutical applications."
Dr Franz Timmermann, manager of the functional foods market segment, commented: "Sterols are well accepted as an excellent example of a scientifically proven health ingredient - in spite of a controversial discussion about the necessity of functional food among nutritionists."
As part of the new organisation Cognis has introduced a framework for the Nutrition & Health group by establishing five market segments - dietary supplements, functional food and medical nutrition, pharmaceuticals and healthcare, food technology and animal nutrition.
