DuPont Nutrition & Health, Copenhagen, Denmark, expanded its R&D team by creating a “clean label hub” at its Brabrand, Denmark facility. The hub will help boost its project pipeline in healthy nutrition and clean-label texturant offerings. Six new employees will join the existing team to focus on both ingredient and process development, the company said.

The hub will feature experts with backgrounds in clean label and sustainability — two fields that often work together and serve related purposes. Working closely with existing project teams, the hub will bring products to market quickly and help grow the existing project pipeline, the company said.

“Clean label is about creating foods and beverages with ingredients that consumers recognize, feel good about putting into their bodies, and that respect the earth and its resources,” said Gerard Lynch, R&D leader, systems and texturants, emulsifiers and sweeteners. “Our ingredients are already used in many applications that consumers consider clean label, but there are tremendous opportunities to innovate — creating ingredients that are even more sustainable, using a larger part of the natural raw materials, while providing health benefits to consumers. Committing to this innovation is critical for our ongoing success and growth.”

The hub will help customers continue to navigate clean-label trends in a proactive and sustainable way. DuPont Nutrition & Health said it’s seeking creative scientists and engineers to identify ways to convert sustainable and natural raw materials into clean-label solutions that meet consumer demands for simplicity and authenticity, without compromising taste, texture and nutritional qualities.

The company said it plans to have its clean-label texturants team in place by early 2019.