Dairy company FrieslandCampina will this year launch specific products for the over-60s, chief executive Cees ‘t Hart said in a farewell interview with the Financieele Dagblad on Thursday.

Research shows 20% of the over-60s are underfed, in the Netherland as well as abroad, he said.

‘These seniors are not getting the right food,’ he said. ‘In China we are talking about 220 million people. These older people need a varied diet and dairy products are part of that. We’re going to do something about it.’

‘In Asia we can launch a supplement, a powder or a drink on the market which is made of extremely rich milk powder,’ he said. ‘But that does not work in Europe. Older people don’t want supplements there and so we will do something else.’

The first special dairy products for the over-60s will be launched in Hong Kong this summer. Western Europe will follow later.

Health

The company is not giving much away about the new products, nor does it plan to make health claims for them, the paper says. The European food safety body EFSA carries out in-depth checks on products which claim to benefit health and has forced Danone to downplay claims made for its Activa and Actimel products.

FrieslandCampina books turnover of some €11bn a year and the new products will allow it to absorb the extra milk which is expected to come onto the market following the end of milk quotas.

The company has invested €1.7bn in expanding and modernising its production locations to prepare for the change and expects a 15% rise in Dutch milk production, the FD says.