Nestlé strengthens scientific commitment to China with new laboratory partnership

The Nestlé Research Center (NRC) Beijing in China has established a new laboratory in partnership with Xi’an Jiaotong University to advance scientific research into metabolic health.

The joint laboratory is the latest collaboration between the NRC Beijing and a number of Chinese universities and institutes to benefit consumers in China and other countries around the world.

Located at the University’s School of Life Science and Technology in the city of Xi’an, mainland China, the partnership will extend existing studies between the institution and the Nestlé Research Center into the health benefits of traditional Chinese ingredients.

Peter van Bladeren, Director of Nestlé Science and Research, explained the importance of the partnership at the laboratory’s inauguration ceremony.

He said: “Nestlé is committed to building long-standing relationships with Chinese universities to address the evolving challenges facing human health in China.

“This new endeavour will enable our scientists to work alongside academic scientists and students from the university to help develop nutritional solutions for metabolic health issues such as diabetes.

"It will allow us to continue working with the scientific community to share expertise and to really understand consumers’ needs.”

To mark the collaboration, Mr van Bladeren was presented with the title of Adjunct Professor by Xi’an Jiaotong University Vice President, Song Xiaoping.

During the ceremony, Mr van Bladeren also announced that the new laboratory will annually award a Nestlé Outstanding Student Prize to exceptional students from the University’s School of Life Science and Technology.

He named PhD student Zhihui Feng as the first recipient of the prize.

Mr Feng was selected in recognition of his published work in high impact, peer-reviewed scientific journals, and his contribution to the establishment of the University’s Institute of Mitochondrial Biology and Medicine.

Nestlé in China
More than seven million Nestlé products are sold in China every day, of which more than 90% are manufactured locally.

The Company has two Research & Development Centers in China, one in Shanghai (established in 2001) and the other in Beijing (established in 2008).

Both R&D Beijing and R&D Shanghai contribute significantly to successful China-specific product launches.

Nestlé R&D Shanghai supports both global and regional projects, in particular for the Greater China Region. Work is done on the science and technology of taste enhancement. Technologies developed by R&D Shanghai have been successfully deployed in various countries around the world.

Nestlé R&D Beijing is a unique R&D Center with strong basic research and product development on nutrition and health. Innovative product and packaging solutions for food and beverages have already been successfully developed for China and Asian region.

The Nestlé Research Center Beijing is a separate unit located within R&D Beijing. It is part of a worldwide research network whose hub is the Nestlé Research Centre in Lausanne, Switzerland.

The new laboratory partnership with Xi’an Jiaotong University strengthens Nestlé’s scientific commitment to China, which already includes a number of research collaborations with 14 different Chinese scientific institutions.