NIZO to link Korea with Europe
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Ad Juriaanse, left, managing director of food business consulting firm NIZO, poses with Liz Kamei, the firm’s vice president / Courtesy of the Korea National Food Cluster Team
Food cluster to facilitate greater cooperation
By Chung Ah-young
The Korean government’s ambitious initiative to establish an industrial food complex in Iksan, North Jeolla Province by 2015 will likely create competitive advantages for domestic firms through collaborations with world-renowned R&D institutes and companies.
The Korea National Food Cluster, which will become the country’s first state-funded food industrial complex, also known as “Foodpolis,” will see more opportunities ahead because it will cooperate with NIZO Food Research, one of the EU’s top three food researchers. NIZO has solidified its unique position as an independent research company in Food Valley in the Netherlands.
Ad Juriaanse, managing director of NIZO, said in a recent email interview that there are new opportunities for both parties because NIZO is internationally oriented and it is already working closely with many food companies in Southeast Asia. He believes that their collaboration can contribute to relevant expertise such as fermentation or protein technology and can help Korean food makers develop products targeting the European market.
“We are convinced that good food needs good science and that this can be achieved by working together intimately with our clients on those things that are relevant to their business. As a hub of food science expertise, working with NIZO gives our clients access to the latest science and technology,” he said.
“Our experts have a variety of backgrounds — both academic and industrial — and they understand the needs of the industry. In addition, our understanding and expertise has grown as a result of the many successful projects carried out for food and ingredient companies over our 65 year history. Thus, NIZO also serves as an excellent gateway to the European markets,” he added.
NIZO is one of more than 60 food companies, including Korea’s CJ Cheiljedang, Dongwon F&B, Jalux of Japan, SunOpta of Canada and InstantLabs of the United States, which are planning to invest in the country’s first state-supported food industrial complex.
NIZO and the Korean government signed a memorandum of understanding, laying the foundation for future collaboration on Feb. 1. The MOU is designed to facilitate cooperation in the area of product development and knowledge transfer in NIZO’s core areas of expertise including: flavor/texture, stomach health, food safety and processing.
NIZO has been playing a strong role in Southeast Asia in the areas of food innovation and business development.
The relationship between these ambitious agro food clusters/regions is expected to create a strong gateway for new opportunities for both parties in the near future and will help to enhance a competitive position worldwide.
“The incredible progress made by Korea in other technical fields is well known and we expect that this initiative will be backed by the same dedication and energy. We are excited for the future of Foodpolis,” said Liz Kamei, vice president of NIZO’s business development in Asia-Pacific region.
Kamei said that NIZO is seeking opportunities in the near future to send experts to Korea and to run one of the well-respected NIZO technical courses.
“This will be a learning opportunity for NIZO, and a chance for potential clients to interact with our experts and learn about NIZO. Our experts are of course available for consultations, depending on the needs of Foodpolis in general and specific companies in particular. We welcome the chance to discuss potential opportunities with our friends in Korea,” she said.
Kamei added that its ambition for Asia Pacific is to understand the innovation and other needs of its current and potential partners and provide NIZO expertise to meet those needs.
NIZO was launched as a dairy research institute in 1948. Since 2003, NIZO has worked for the international food and ingredient industry and in 2009 it became an independent company via a management buyout led by Juriaanse.
NIZO’s technology is known for cost reduction projects in recipe formulation and process optimization. The food grade pilot plant is designed to upgrade R&D projects as well as the production of small volume ingredients and samples for clinical trials and test market.
NIZO is specialized in “open innovation systems” in which it works closely together with individual companies on a confidential basis.