Nestlé has given a new boost to production in Spain by introducing its nutritional health division, Nestlé Health Science, at the Sebares plant in Asturias. The Swiss company has invested over 7 million euros to set up a new production line for adult food supplements, with a production capacity of 10,000 tonnes per year.

The Asturian plant, which is the group's largest European production centre for liquid infant milks, has added the Meritene Drink range to its catalogue, a nutritional solution for adults over the age of 65. In a drinkable, ready-to-consume format, its recipe is fortified with protein, vitamins and minerals, and comes in vanilla and chocolate flavours.

Fifteen new products
The introduction of this new line diversifies production at the Asturian plant, which has an average workforce of 160 employees and produces over 36,000 tonnes of product per year. A total of 15 Nestlé Health Science products will be produced. In addition to the Meritene Drink range, the plant will produce several fruit-juice-fortified beverages for the French market.

Plant Manager Diana del Campo said, “We are very excited to take on production of one of Nestlé Health Science's most important ranges, demonstrating, once again the value of our team and the versatility of our facilities. For us, this is a great opportunity that ensures the competitiveness of the plant and puts it in an even stronger position for the future.”

International supply point
Walter Molhoek, Director of the Nutritional Health division in Spain, added, “With this new line, we are starting a new chapter in the history of Nestlé Health Science. The Sebares factory will become an international supply point for nutritional supplements and will allow us to have greater capacity and be more efficient in the face of the growing demand for hospital nutrition products, with leading brands like Meritene Drink, Resource and Meritene Clinical.”

Furthermore, according to Molhoek, the commitment to national production “reinforces our commitment to respond to the needs of local consumers and, from a sustainability perspective, to reduce our carbon footprint”. Nestlé currently has ten production sites in Spain.

^{Photo: Nestlé}