Fast, nutritious snacks, tailored to individuals’ dietary needs and taste preferences, all at the touch of a button, could be the convenience food of the future, New Zealand dairy Fonterra reports.

This breakthrough Fonterra project with researchers at Massey University’s Riddet Centre aims to pioneer a novel food delivery system called POSIFoods or “point-of-sale individualised foods”.
The four-year project will combine advanced nutrition science, innovative food processing and formulation processes with state-of-the-art vending technology.
Formed in October 2001, Fonterra is the largest dairy ingredients operation  in the world, co-operatively owned by more than 13,000 dairy farmers. It collects 13 billion litres of milk per year and manufactures and markets two million tonnes of dairy products annually, exporting to 140 countries. It has an annual turnover of  $6.8 billion.
Fonterra’s director of marketing and innovation Bob Major says of the project, “While being able to dial up food in the way you want sounds the stuff of science fiction, this heralds the next era in food technology. Consumers will be able to receive a healthy, nutritious snack with a specified nutritional benefit and the convenience of instant vending.”
Foods would be formulated to meet common dietary and health needs, and to deliver a range of supplementary nutrients that could include vitamins C and folate, minerals such as calcium and iron, antioxidants or omega-3, Major explains.
“There is increasing consumer demand for foods that not only taste great, but are nutritious and actually improve health and well-being. This development will enable customers to choose a snack that meets particular health needs such as low fat for calorie management, low cholesterol for heart health, high calcium for osteoporosis, or low in sugars for diabetics.”
Major says POSIFoods has the potential to open up new markets and export opportunities for value-added, dairy-based consumer foods and extend the strong nutrition and health benefits to more consumers. The highly advanced technology will provide longer-term commercial opportunities for Fonterra, which maintains a balanced innovation portfolio of research projects with immediate, medium and long-term benefits.
The research project aims to develop working prototypes to prove that the technology concept is feasible in commercial applications.
“There is increasing parental concern in New Zealand and overseas about healthy eating for children. One possible solution in this area could be a vending machine for schools where students could choose from a range of appetising smoothies with the goodness of dairy food.
“Given the huge range of combinations possible from a select few ingredients, this would provide a healthy alternative for children, offer a vast array of flavours and give exact nutrition control,” says Major
The project would also build on Fonterra’s global success with targeted nutrition in consumer dairy products such as milk powders Anmum for pregnant and lactating mothers and high-calcium Anlene for those susceptible to osteoporosis.
“With POSIFoods, we could take these successful nutritional brands to the next level of customisation. For  example, a 60-year-old woman in Malaysia who is concerned about osteoporosis and iron levels, could stand in front of a dispensing machine, press a button and out comes an appealing product that’s high in a dairy calcium and iron to assist in meeting her particular health needs,” enthuses Major.
The project is co-funded by Fonterra and chemicals food company BASF and has been awarded an Innovative Foods grant from the Foundation for Research Science and Technology.
The project will involve researchers from the Riddet Centre - an advanced research institute in nutrition, food functionality and food processing.