Almarai, the leading Arab brand in the food industry, has joined hands with Mead Johnson Nutrition, a global science based company with over 100 years of experience and a world leader in pediatric nutrition, jointly announced Tuesday that it has set up a new joint venture — the International Pediatric Nutrition Company (IPNC) to produce infant formula products co-branded as Almarai and Enfamil.

"IPNC fulfils the combined mission of the two companies – bringing the finest nutrition to nourish infants and children for the best start in life," Abdulrahman Al-Fadley, chief executive officer (CEO) of Almarai told newsmen at a briefing held at the AlKhozama Center on Tuesday .

“Our children's nutrition in their early years is crucial to their growth and development. Therefore, it is with great excitement that we are launching this new company. It gives an immense pleasure that we are committing to contributing to the nutrition and health of our children," Al-Fadley noted .

"A capital investment of over SR750 million in a state-of-the-art production facility is being made and the two companies plan to leverage their world-class capabilities and highest quality standards to make the best pediatric nutrition products available for infants and children in the GCC," Al-Fadly said.

He said the facility is being built on a 50,000 sq. meter land in Al-Kharj near the Almarai facilities with all the modern facilities and making provision for the supply of products both to the local and GCC markets . The plant which is expected to produce one and half tons of infant food per hour is expected to be commissioned in September next year, he added.

Al-Fadli categorically stressed that breast milk is the best for the infants. " If the mothers cannot give the milk for various reasons, our formula is the best option since it has been proved the best, even by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) ," he said. Research in the company's facilities in various parts of the world have proved that infants in all parts of the globe need the same nutrition irrespective of their native places, the CEO said.

“Our infant formula products offer proven clinical outcomes in three key areas of infant development — brain and eye, immune system, and growth," said Chuck Davin , general manager, IPNC. “We are proud to be making these world-class nutritional offerings available to families in the GCC.”

He added that IPNC also aims to establish strong ties and work closely with the local medical community by sharing scientific knowledge as well as its innovative, research-based products with the region.

To demonstrate this commitment, IPNC hosted a medical event featuring a renowned international pediatric expert, Dr. Craig Jensen, in conjunction with the launch of its products. The session was attended by over 150 paediatricians and key opinion leaders in the health field. Participating Saudi pediatricians declared it a success, describing the presentations as insightful and informative.

Prior to the IPNC event, Dr. Jensen conducted a series of lectures at leading health institutions including King Faisal Specialist Hospital, King Fahad National Guard Hospital, King Khalid University Hospital, and King Fahad Medical City Hospital, where he also met and exchanged ideas with local senior pediatricians.

“We look forward to creating additional opportunities for the exchange of knowledge and best practices in support of the best start in life for the children of the GCC.”

Almarai is the strongest Saudi brand in the food industry, the largest dairy brand in the GCC and the world’s most vertically integrated dairy company. Established in 1977 as the first producer of fresh milk and yoghurt in the Kingdom, Almarai has grown tremendously through the years, providing a constantly expanding range of nutritious and delicious food and beverage to more and more families not only in Saudi Arabia but across GCC.

Mead Johnson is a global leader in science based nutrition for infants and children. A company dedicated to nourishing the potential of every children and giving them the best start in life through science.

Mead Johnson has a century long tradition of working closely with clinicians and leading nutrition researchers, establishing a partnership with the scientific community. Its products have brought significant improvements in nutrition and quality of life through the years.