LAUSANNE, Switzerland – The Nestlé Research Center, based in the Swiss city of Lausanne, has become the first foreign fast-moving consumer goods company to receive The University of Tokyo Shokumon Award 2013. The award acknowledges Nestlé’s continuous support to the University’s research and education programmes.
Largest R&D network
Nestlé has the largest R&D network of any food company in the world, with 34 R&D facilities – including three Science & Research Centres and 31 Product Technology Centres and R&D Centres worldwide – and over 5,000 people involved in R&D.
Behind every one of Nestlé’s products there is a team of scientists, engineers, nutritionists, designers, regulatory specialists and consumer care representatives dedicated to earning consumers’ trust with safe products of the highest quality.
Recognising research effort
The “Shokumon Award”, created in 2002, recognises individuals or organisations for their contributions through private donations, volunteer work, or the establishment of endowed chairs or research centres.
In 2009, Nestlé launched its first Japan-based research unit for fundamental scientific research – Nestlé Research Tokyo – and endowed the university with a chair on Food for Life.
Fundamental research
Nestlé Research Tokyo focuses on fundamental research in nutrition and health in Japan while a joint research programme, Food for Life, addresses a number of topics related to nutrition and health including healthy ageing and metabolic syndrome.
In addition, Nestlé and the University of Tokyo have established the Food for Life Science Forum, an annual open forum to share recent findings with a wider public in the areas of health and nutrition.
The Forum has been held three times so far, focusing on Coffee consumption and Prevention of Type II Diabetes, Sarcopenia and Ageing and The Role of Nutrition in Stimulating and Sustaining Cognitive Performance.
