Nestlé SA has bought a significant stake in a company that produces a drink to improve Alzheimer’s disease.
Best known for it’s confectionary, snack foods, coffee and chocolate drinks, Nestlé has been exploring new avenues lately.
In Australia, the company has partnered with Arthritis Australia and government agencies to improve the accessibility of its packaging.
One in two Australians struggles to open packaging, and the ageing population will see many elderly people staying home instead of going into care, which is dependant on them being able to feed themselves.
Nestlé’s latest venture is a significant stake in Accera, a biotechnology company involved in “medical foods development” including the production of Axona, a prescription-based milkshake-type drink meant to manage and improve symptoms of mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease.
The company has not confirmed the dollar amount it has invested in Accera, but it was enough to get a Nestlé seat on the Accera board of directors, according to the Wall Street Journal, which also reports that Nestlé has plans to invest up to $500 million over the next ten years in health-related foods and drinks like Axona.
Last year Nestlé set up a subsidiary of its business, Nestlé Health Science, and the latest acquisition is part of that branch.
"The significance of this is not the size of the investment, but the fact that it is our first step in developing our brain health portfolio," Luis Cantarell, president and chief executive of Nestlé Health Science said.