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Are you a FoodTech company?
We're at your side, every step of the way
Sher Consulting & Training and Milouda Laboratories, subsidiary companies of Mérieux NutriSciences, are fully committed to providing a range of services to Israeli FoodTech companies, starting from the product development phase up to its shelf appearance. We offer services in various fields related to laboratory, regulation, product quality and safety, and sustainability.
Our companies provide comprehensive solutions with the full conviction that the FoodTech industry will change the face of humanity, for the better! We share a common goal and are proud to be part of this industry and its innovative processes. Hence, it should be no surprise that our customers include some of the most promising FoodTech startups and the largest food companies in Israel, in addition to companies from other industries.
We interface with regulators, investors, and customers with the highest level of professionalism under uncompromising standards of quality, thanks to our tools, equipment, and subject matter expertise, which enable us to offer extensive and wide-ranging solutions and services in Hebrew and English.
We’d be happy to assist you with your needs and arrange a preliminary meeting free of any obligations.
Food Regulatory Affairs
Better Food
The production, marketing, and sale of food require compliance with the regulatory requirements in the target market, even when localization to the target market is not necessarily relevant to other markets.[A1]
These regulatory requirements are often complicated, challenging, and varied in each locale, thus requiring significant industry knowledge, experience, and resources, especially when it comes to innovative food ingredients, cutting-edge technologies, or the use of materials/ equipment that have not been utilized before.
Understanding the regulations is crucial even in the primary phases of development. This understanding is necessary in order to avoid undue complicated and regulatory processes, e.g. finding alternatives for raw materials that are not allowed to be used.
Comprehending the correct regulatory path will enable an efficient allocation of resources, shorten the development process, help target the relevant market, and assist in building a sound business plan that will be used by the company when seeking funding.
Sher Consulting & Training has in-depth knowledge of “regulatory language,” both in Israel and in global markets. We boast rich experience with food startups and have a long-standing professional relationship with our parent company, law firms, and regulatory consultants who specialize in the food industry.
This enables us to provide comprehensive regulatory solutions and services from the brainstorming stage up to product marketing in various locales worldwide, including:
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Regulatory review status of product/ technology
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Constructing a work plan to meet regulatory requirements in various target markets
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Novel food registration in Israel, the EU, etc.
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Compliance with product or technology requirements/ registration in the US according to the relevant path:
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GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe)
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FCM – Food Contact Materials
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NDI - New Dietary Ingredients
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Food additives
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Constructing/ adjusting package labeling for all target markets
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Management of outsourced regulation to companies and ongoing support for the needs of regulators, investors, customers, and suppliers
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Laboratory Services
Better Health
The innovation that FoodTech will bring requires cutting-edge solutions in laboratory tests. This innovation is undertaken in order to prove to regulators, investors, and future customers that the product is indeed safe for consumption and of high quality.
Milouda Laboratories make the field of laboratory testing accessible to the world of FoodTech, while providing broad solutions to various challenges, such as extremely low quantities of the tested product and transporting and preserving samples under special conditions, while taking into consideration the uniqueness of each product.
The Mérieux Group is one of the few in the world that knows how to provide Digestibility Studies in a specialized laboratory in Italy. This innovative series of tests make it possible to demonstrate the effects of the product on the human digestive system, and is required by regulators worldwide to prove safety, e.g. as part of the recognition process as a Novel Food.
The laboratory team in Israel and global development centers provide consulting services and guidance regarding the laboratory tests recommended to be performed at the various stages of development and in the final product. We also offer advice at the end of the process, by providing test protocols and analytical reports.
Sustainability
Better World
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Building a Sustainable Strategy
The food industry as we know it has a profound impact on the environment (e.g. water resources, Land usage, biodiversity, waste, greenhouse gas emissions), society (e.g. equal employment, community relations, hunger prevention), and government (e.g. food access, product safety, social security).
Beyond the great economic opportunity that FoodTech developments hold, most companies operating in the industry also work to change the way food is consumed, so that it is more sustainable.
Our company offers guidance on how to formulate a successful sustainability strategy (ESG) by benchmarking, analyzing the current situation, and assisting in the construction of short and long-term strategic plans.
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LCA and carbon footprint
In recent years, both consumers and investors have The ozone the environmental impact of a product in all stages of its lifecycle. As a result of this understanding, the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology was developed.
The purpose of this method is a quantitative and reliable analysis of the environmental effects of products and services in a variety of environmental aspects, such as energy consumption and greenhouse gas emission, impact on The ozone layer, carbon or water footprint The possibility of using the product at the end of its lifecycle, land necessary for product production, etc.
Effectively using this methodology provides a tool for Startup companies to determine more environmentally friendly product development and marketing strategy, both with investors and the end customer, based on accurate quantitative data derived from scientific facts and figures (and thus avoiding greenwashing).
The LCA research approach will be determined based on the needs of the organization and may contain a comprehensive analysis or study, determined by external requirements, such as product labelling or documentation (e.g. EPD).
Product Safety
Better Food
Public health and product safety are the top concerns of anyone and everyone who deals with food. Obviously, these concerns are the top priorities for all regulators in all target markets.
Sher Consulting & Training offers broad services and solutions through the stages of factory planning and the establishment of a food safety system:
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Methodological risk analysis (HACCP by design) during the product development stages
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Examining the factory design, ensuring proper manufacturing conditions
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Drafting technical documentation as part of the process of obtaining a manufacturer’s license
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Establishing a quality food safety management system
Building infrastructure in the field of food safety is required as part of the process of obtaining licensing and permits, as well as meeting customer demands and global standards.
Sensory Testing
Better Food
A product’s success in the market is driven by a combination of factors of the customer’s experience with the product, including sensory characteristics, brand image, price, and packaging.
Measuring the sensory elements of a product during the development phase is crucial to its market success.
At Mérieux NutriSciences, we collect information to better understand customer and market behavior, whereby enabling our customers to adapt the developed products to market needs and customer preferences. Tests are performed according to strict industry standards and by utilizing advanced equipment.
Sensory tests are performed according to customer need and may include:
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Test by a panel of experts that produces a sensory profile
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Customer surveys in target markets around the globe
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Tasting tests at the customer’s home in a way that stimulates daily consumption of the tested product
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Sensory comparison tests against a leading product in the category
Validation Tests
Better Health
Laboratory tests of the work environment and final products are Based on sampling and therefore do not provide a comprehensive response for safety and control of the food production process.
In order to verify that the work process is correct and results in a product that meets an organization’s quality and regulatory requirements, the work processes must be validated with an emphasis on processes that contain critical control points (CCP).
Milouda Laboratories assists FoodTech companies in determining the required validation processes (e.g. cleaning and disinfection, shelf life, packaging, etc.), planning and writing a common protocol for validation, carrying out the actual processes, and drafting a validation report.
We are committed to the diligent and strict quality assurance system of Mérieux NutriSciences, which guarantees high-quality tests and reliable results, accompanied by professional subject matter experts.
There is a dedicated team at Milouda Laboratories tasked with carrying out process validations, as well as advice and guidance from our international group.