Fat-mimicking Apple Fibre

Science & Technology in childhood Obesity Policy (STOP)

STOP, a four-year (2018-2021) European Commission-funded Horizon 2020 project aimed to generate scientifically sound, novel and policy-relevant evidence on the factors that have contributed to the spread of childhood obesity in European countries. The project sought to develop a comprehensive set of indicators and measurement framework, policy briefs and toolkits and a viable multi-stakeholder framework to help address childhood obesity across Europe.

STOP funded three industry-led pilot projects in three European countries. Each pilot approached the problem of childhood obesity from a different angle:

1. New “food concepts” - Innovations with the potential to increase the availability, access to, and convenience of fresh and natural foods.
2. Innovations in the food retail environment - Innovations in the in-store food choice environment.
3. Digital solutions for healthier food and physical activity choices - Digital solutions that may help children, parents, pregnant women and women of childbearing age navigate their food environment.

Our Project – www.milacel.com

Pennotec’s multi-disciplinary project developed a New “food concept” for low-income families, comprising functional dietary fibre paste to provide a complementary approach to tackling childhood obesity across Europe. The project addressed the barriers to introducing an ‘easy to use’ functional dietary paste, based on apple fibre. Through cooperation with schools and local communities, Pennotec developed low-calorie versions of meals with no impact on texture or taste. An ‘easy-to-use’ paste was developed for both school and home kitchens as a healthier recipe supplement and a meal extender. The product was delivered to schools and promoted to retailers together with ‘on-package’ instructions and social media supported recipes and tips to make it easier and more affordable for families to prepare more filling and nutritionally balanced meals. For more information on the project and any previous work on our functional dietary fibre, please visit www.milacel.com .

“Pennotec aims to use innovative technology to develop a ready-to-use dietary fibre paste which can replace a portion of fat and sugar in foods enjoyed by children and families. This aligns with the need and demand of creating healthier new products using natural ingredients from sustainable resources”. Dr Jonathan Hughes, owner of Pennog Ltd. (Pennotec)