{"id":570,"date":"2025-05-29T10:07:00","date_gmt":"2025-05-29T08:07:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nutrimedia.info\/?post_type=news&#038;p=570"},"modified":"2025-05-16T18:07:44","modified_gmt":"2025-05-16T16:07:44","slug":"when-plants-help-in-the-fight-against-malnutrition","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.nutrimedia.info\/en\/news\/quand-le-vegetal-sinvite-dans-la-lutte-contre-la-denutrition\/","title":{"rendered":"When plants help combat malnutrition"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>What if plant-based foods were no longer confined to the healthy aisles of supermarkets? The arrival of the first plant-based 100% oral nutritional drink for malnourished patients marks a turning point. With the launch of Fortimel PlantBased Energy, Nutricia (Danone) is doing more than just introducing a new product: it is initiating a strategic shift in a sector long dominated by animal proteins. A development that is also of interest to food ingredients professionals.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><br><strong>A plant trend that's spreading to new areas<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The dietary transition <\/strong>is no longer simply a matter of marketing positioning: it is now a structural transformation of practices, even in the most standardised sectors such as clinical nutrition. Historically based on dairy protein-based formulas, medical nutrition is evolving to incorporate vegetarian, vegan and flexitarian diets, as well as to respond to the growing constraints associated with intolerances or allergies. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nutrimedia.info\/en\/news\/allergies-diabetes-fatigue-these-chronic-diseases-that-are-shaping-the-future-of-functional-nutrition\/\">allergies<\/a> (lactose, gluten, cow's milk proteins).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><br>This development is based on solid scientific data. A meta-analysis of 35 clinical studies showed that <strong>pea and soya isolates have similar effects to animal proteins<\/strong> on body weight, muscle mass and physical strength in patients at risk of undernutrition.<br>In other words, plant proteins are no longer a compromise solution: they are becoming a credible therapeutic alternative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Undernutrition: a massive and persistent challenge<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Illness-related undernutrition remains an invisible and largely underestimated reality in Europe. <strong>In Belgium, for example :<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>1 in 10 hospital patients is already malnourished.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>1 in 4 is considered to be at risk.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In the elderly, the rate rises to 40 %, and up to 80 % in cancer patients.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>These figures, drawn from local and hospital studies, reflect a systemic problem with well-documented consequences: longer hospital stays, increased complications, loss of independence and a higher risk of relapse. Faced with this situation, nutritional solutions need to be diversified, better tolerated and more readily accepted.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Fortimel PlantBased: a weak signal that speaks volumes<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>This is the background to the launch of Fortimel PlantBased Energy, <strong>an oral nutritional drink 100 % <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nutrimedia.info\/en\/news\/plant-proteins-panorama-of-new-players-in-2025\/\">plant<\/a> <\/strong>designed for patients suffering from malnutrition. Available in Belgium since the beginning of 2025, this product is distinguished by :<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>a high energy content (300 kcal per 200 ml),<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>12 g of vegetable protein (peas and soya) with a complete profile (PDCAAS = 1),<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>a lactose-free, gluten-free and animal protein-free formulation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Two flavours have been developed to encourage sensory acceptance: Mango-Passion and Mocha.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>But it is above all its positioning that raises questions. For the first time, a major player in clinical nutrition has fully assumed its role as a leader in the field. <strong>a plant-based approach as an integrated response, not as a marginal variant<\/strong>. A study conducted in the UK showed that Fortimel PlantBased Energy significantly increases nutritional intake, is well tolerated and has an adherence rate of 94 % after four weeks of consumption.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>A development that could reshuffle the cards<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>This trend is not limited to Danone\/Nutricia. It reflects a fundamental shift in the sector as a whole, with implications at several levels:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Patients are demanding solutions that are compatible with their convictions and constraints.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>For prescribers, who have to adapt to increasingly personalised diets, while ensuring clinical efficacy.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>For manufacturers, who have to review their formulation bases, protein matrices and regulatory validation processes.<br><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>For ingredient suppliers, this shift opens up new prospects:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table aligncenter\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>Issues<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Opportunities<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Functional plant proteins<\/td><td>Developing BCAA-rich ingredients that are digestible, stable and clinically validated<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Sensory acceptability<\/td><td>Working on flavour, texture and overall organoleptic profile<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Regulations<\/td><td>Adapting solutions to the requirements of medical products (FSMP, nutritional claims, traceability)<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What this says about the future of specialised nutrition<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The introduction of a plant-based offer in a field as codified as medical nutrition reveals a growing porosity between two worlds: that of healthcare and that of everyday food.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>By 2030, we can anticipate <\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>More and more plant-based, fermented and clean-label formulas...<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Increasingly personalised nutrition, integrating microbiota, genotype and food cultures<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>More stringent requirements in terms of environmental impact and traceability of sources<br><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>This development is reshaping the roadmap for nutrition brands, but also for upstream players: producers of alternative proteins, flavour designers, suppliers of prebiotics or plant vitamins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Conclusion: the time for transformation has come<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The use of plants in medical nutrition is no longer taboo, or anecdotal. It reflects a transition that is gathering pace, driven by multiple expectations: clinical, societal and environmental.<br>For players in the food ingredients sector, it's an invitation to anticipate, co-develop and innovate differently.<br>Tomorrow's specialised nutrition will be more inclusive, more diversified and, no doubt, more plant-based.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Would you like to better understand how to meet these new formulation needs? <\/strong> <strong>Contact us: together, we can shape the specialised nutrition of tomorrow.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Sources :<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Danone Nutricia - <em>Fortimel PlantBased Energy: a plant-based alternative for disease-related undernutrition<\/em>, published on<a href=\"https:\/\/danone-hub-room.prezly.com\/translation-fortimel-a-base-de-plantes\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"> danone-hub-room.prezly.com<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciensano.be\/fr\/resultats-de-lenquete-nationale-de-consommation-alimentaire-2022-2023\/statut-ponderal-et-troubles-du-comportement-alimentaire\/risque-de-denutrition\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Risk of undernutrition in the elderly - Sciensano<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":true,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","inline_featured_image":false},"class_list":["post-570","news","type-news","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nutrimedia.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/570","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nutrimedia.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nutrimedia.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nutrimedia.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=570"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}