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Overview of activities, risk factors
2.5 Other elements related to Danone's activity and organization
DANONE
REGISTRATION DOCUMENT 2015
19
Research and Development
Presentation of Danone's Research and
Development
Research and Development plays a central role in the implementation
of Danone's growth strategy. Danone believes that food can play an
essential role in addressing health challenges.
The Research and Development strategy focuses on four main
innovation areas:
•
progress: building bridges between science and food to contribute
to the health of people of all ages, from the youngest to the oldest;
•
reliability: committing to the nutritional quality of the products
and managing natural resources sustainably;
•
cultures: staying connected to eating practices, integrating
cultural differences and local needs and encouraging healthier
dietary practices within communities;
•
well-being: promoting Danone's product categories to support
daily health and well-being for all. Danone therefore conducts
nutrition research, educates and trains health professionals on
diet-related matters and contributes toward improved dietary
practices for the consumers through educational and informa-
tional campaigns.
The R&D strategy is based on a unique approach to nutrition. This
approach involves stakeholders who are concerned by the public
health challenges in the countries where Danone operates.
Research and Development organization
The Research andDevelopment function at DanoneNutricia Research
has approximately 1,500 employees spread in the following locations:
•
two international research centers: Danone Research Centre
Daniel Carasso (Palaiseau, France) and Nutricia Research
(Utrecht, the Netherlands);
•
five specialized centers:
• Danone Research Packaging in Evian, France,
• Nutricia Research Singapore, in Singapore,
• Danone Research Fresh Dairy Technological Expertise, in
Madrid, Spain,
• Danone Research Fresh Dairy Technological Expertise, in
Chekhov, Russia,
• Dumex Research, in Shanghai, China.
•
local teams in 55 Danone subsidiaries.
Scientific collaborations
In their research, the Research and Development teams regularly
work with external partners such as universities and public research
centers. For example:
•
Danone benefits from the expertise of external scientific com-
mittees on strategic topics such as cultures, including ones with
probiotic potential, or water;
•
Danone maintains permanent contact with the scientific com-
munity to better understand health and nutrition issues. This
collaborative scientific approach allows us to the pooling of
investments, resources and skills. This ongoing dialogue with
scientists and researcher's supports two of the commitments
made by Danone in its Food Nutrition Health Charter. This Charter
formalizes Danone's strategy in the nutrition and health area and
is consistent with the main orientations set by health authorities
in many countries;
•
as part of its contribution to nutrition research, Danone created
the Danone Institutes (non-profit entities) to help strengthen the
understanding of the links between food, nutrition and health.
As of end-2015, 16 Danone institutes are established worldwide.
Their initiatives cover everything from support for scientific
research to information and training for health professionals,
to educational programs for children and the general public.
Danone's Research and Development innovation
areas
Danone determines its Research and Development areas in accor-
dance with the Company's strategy based on four innovation areas:
Progress: bridging life science and nutrition
This innovation field consists of building bridges between science
and nutrition in order to develop food that strengthens the health
potential of each individual, from the youngest to the eldest.
To that end, Danone has developed scientific expertise in selecting
and characterizing lactic acid bacteria as well as understanding the
way these bacteria (known as probiotics) can benefit human health.
In recent years Danone has therefore developed substantial knowl-
edge of the various genomic, molecular, cellular, physiological and
functional elements that form the basis for this link between the
microbiota, the immune system, intestinal walls and their overall
contribution to health.
To develop fermented dairy products that have an impact on the
human body's balance and homeostasis, Danone uses various ap-
proaches, including applying its extensive collection of lactic acid
bacteria and selecting the top-performing ones depending on the
desired physiological and clinical effects.
For all the work in these areas, the Research and Development
teams use the latest techniques in genomics, cellular and mo-
lecular biology, cytometry and robotics. They design and set up
clinical studies based on international standards and utilize the
latest statistical analysis methods. They also collaborate with other
internationally-recognized, high-level scientific partners such as
INRA (French National Institute for Agricultural Research) in Paris,
Harvard Medical School in Boston (United States), the
Institut
Pasteur
(Pasteur Institute) in Paris and University College of Cork
in Ireland. Furthermore, to further develop these research areas,
Danone sponsors conferences with these institutions in order to
share the latest findings to the international scientific community.