Mifood puts health in a bottle

Oma always said it, "Eat lots of fruits and vegetables, in as many colors as possible." Somewhere we feel it was true, but a scientific foundation was lacking. Let alone a sophisticated composition of our diet, scientifically based. We should eat a varied mix of 500 grams of fruits and vegetables daily, but most people don't come close. While it could significantly increase our resistance to serious diseases and thus have a great preventive effect. Raymond Nolet of Mifood is picking up the gauntlet for a major shift in our diet and our entire lives. And Limburg's agrofood could be the perfect environment for that.

3 years of intervention research

MiFood makes innovative fruit and vegetable products, with maximum preservation of vitamins, minerals, proteins, fibers and antioxidants. More than a year ago, Maastricht University started a 3-year human food intervention study on the impact of bioactive substances on health, commissioned by Mifood. A total of 200 people will take part in the study over the three years. They consume different mixes daily, in liquid or dry form. A total of 9 different mixes are investigated. The participants will return to Maastricht every week for various tests. Interim results are already available, but Nolet keeps his jaw shut about them. "The enthusiastic entrepreneur in me is impatient and would like to shout from the rooftops what steps we can take in increasing resistance to lifestyle diseases. But I also know that serious scientific research takes time and that we have to wait for the final results. I am confident that with this we are really going to demonstrate how much good the right food can bring us!"

"The enthusiastic entrepreneur in me is impatient, but I also know that serious science takes time."

Mifood's fruit and vegetable mixes and pearls

Intemperate consumers

Not only MiFood is impatient. Various consumers from the region who have heard about the initiative also want to use the products now, even though their effect has not yet been scientifically proven. The liquid version, Joycie, consists entirely of fruit, vegetables and tea. Mifood has selected varieties with high percentages of bioactive substances. In the pearls, the fruit and vegetable mix is put on a carrier of oats, among other things. This is dried and provided with an extra coating of vegetables and fruit. Nolet: "I give presentations and talk to all sorts of people. Then you notice: food and health are very much alive." Joycie can already be ordered online for the first supporters. And if people want to measure the impact on their own health, the Brightlabs test can be ordered through MiFood to measure blood values before and after 4 months. "If they want, they can also share the results with MiFood, but that is up to them. For me, the enthusiastic response is a sign that there is a need for this and that in itself is of course important information."

"Healthy food is very much alive and not just among young people."

Measure, measure, measure

Nolet has seen many examples in his career of the impact of healthy food in practice. Back then, that was in animal nutrition. "I worked for the compound feed industry and then you see what ration adjustments do to animals in practice . If, for example, the coat of a horse shines, then you know: it is healthy. Well, it's no different with pigs. Better growth, more social animals, more resistance, less disease: with the right composition of the diet you can control this, among other things. It is only logical that this also largely applies to humans. It is now important that we investigate in much more detail what the right composition is for different people." And so MiFood is investing heavily in R&D. The bioactive substances of various types of fruit and vegetables have been studied via Brightlabs, both in raw and processed form.

Who will buy it?

This brings us to the other side of the story, the demand side. Because is the average consumer really waiting for a sophisticated mix from a bottle or bag? Nolet: "I had expected that young people in particular would respond to this. And it is true that healthy food is very much alive among young people; they are relatively much in search of more knowledge about healthy food and a healthy lifestyle. But that does not always translate into concrete behavior involving healthy eating. It is striking that the over-50s are particularly interested in this. This group is looking for a way to live the next phase of their lives as healthy and vital as possible. Healthy food is more important to them for a longer life. And yes, of course you can choose to buy, prepare and eat that healthy food yourself. But that takes a lot of time and energy. Moreover, you have to know very well what you are doing. If you cook broccoli a little too long, the bioactive substances are already destroyed. There will therefore be many people who prefer to choose the convenience and security that our products offer."

Marketing

When the research is completed, the focus will be on availability and marketing. "We are still tiny, we are now in the refrigerated section of the canteen of the Province of Limburg, at local companies and people can order online. But later on, of course, that has to be much more scalable. The product must be in the supermarkets, the product and the story must become known. We expect supermarkets to be open to this innovation. But here too there is still a lot of work to be done: in which shelf do we want to be and how do we make it clear to the consumer what it does? It's not a roll of licorice you're selling."

Personalized nutrition

But Nolet really doesn't want to just sell bottles of Joycie soon, even though that could already mean a landslide in human nutrition. "There are still a lot of steps to take. I want to develop a healthy alternative for every moment of the day. Even snacks can be so much healthier while retaining their taste. We have already made leek chips and conducted a taste test among young people. They thought it tasted just as good as ordinary chips, but at the same time they were eating 85% leek. In addition, personalized nutrition is the next step in development. What exactly do you need with your genetic background in your current condition? We want to measure this with a blood drop and adjust your nutrition accordingly. Then you can work even better on your resistance and your overall health. In addition, we need to carry out targeted research into which food contributes to the prevention of diseases such as Alzheimer's or breast cancer. There should actually be 6 more studies running besides the current one, there is still so much we don't know!"

"For every moment of use we want to offer a healthy alternative"

The Nutritional Concepts Lab, also available to other pioneering producers

Opportunities for Limburg's agrofood

Nolet does not believe, incidentally, that a future in healthy food lies only for Mifood. Opportunities enough for the entire agrofood sector. "Expanding even more is not the way to go for a densely populated Netherlands. Look for it in more quality and a distinctive product if you want to grow and generate more income. And that is possible, the interest is there."
MiFood therefore rents out the Nutrition Concepts Lab for pioneering producers who want to further develop their product or make new products. There is also a gastrointestinal simulator from HEFI (Healthy Eating & Food Innovation, ed.), so if companies want to know how their product is absorbed by the body, this can also be researched for them.
"If you are a breeder or grower, for example, it is extremely interesting if you can make a product that is demonstrably healthier. Then it is important to first of all analyze the product that you are currently producing for certain ingredients. We are already asking growers to further refine their products for certain substances so that they can be used in our mixes. This can of course also be done on the grower's own initiative. We are happy to help think about opportunities and processes if desired and guarantee confidentiality. We have now gained a great deal of experience with product development, so companies often find it useful to be able to spar with us. That can even lead to new partnerships."

"Agri-food companies can generate more revenue by providing a demonstrably healthier product."

Opportunities for students and education

Nolet makes another appeal at the end of the talk to students interested in nutrition and engineering. "We are always looking for students and interns who find this interesting, because they look at the matter with fresh eyes and can give valuable input. They, in turn, get the chance to delve into a new direction that is very exciting. The combination of technology and food is still fairly new territory anyway, so very attractive to free thinkers who also want to pioneer, just like me!"