Nutricia is a specialized-nutrition brand with roots in the Netherlands and a history dating to 1896. Today, it is part of Danone and focuses primarily on early-life nutrition and medical nutrition, developing science-based nutritional products for infants, children, adults, patients, caregivers, and healthcare professionals. Nutricia says it is present in more than 100 countries. 1

Sources: Nutricia and Danone.

Origins — 1896

Nutricia’s history goes back to the late 19th century, when infant mortality in Europe was strongly associated with poor nutrition. At the time, mothers who could not breastfeed frequently relied on wet nurses or animal milk. 2

German professor Alexander Backhaus conducted research into breast milk and developed an infant formula intended to be more easily digested than ordinary cow’s milk. His work eventually led to a patented infant-milk innovation.

In 1896, Dutch physician and public-health inspector Johannes van der Hagen encountered Backhaus’s work at a medical conference in Berlin. Together with his brother Martinus van der Hagen, he obtained rights to manufacture the formula and established the business that became Nutricia.

The name “Nutricia”

The name Nutricia was adopted in 1901. It was derived from “Nutricia Zentrale,” the laboratory associated with Backhaus, which in turn came from the Latin nutrire, meaning “to feed.”

The company’s infant formula became sufficiently well known in the Netherlands that Nutricia was associated with the idea of a “wet nurse”—a reference to the role its products played for mothers who could not breastfeed.

Nutricia did not remain solely an infant-formula company.

Beginning in the early 20th century, it expanded its scientific approach into what would later become known as medical or specialized nutrition. In 1906, for example, Nutricia developed specialized milk products including a low-sugar product for people with diabetes and iodine-fortified milk associated with the treatment of goitre.

This was an important part of Nutricia’s identity: rather than treating food simply as a consumer product, the company increasingly approached nutrition as something that could be adapted to particular physiological and medical needs.

Research has been central to Nutricia’s identity since its beginnings.

Some major milestones include:

• 1896: Backhaus’s infant-formula patent and the establishment of Nutricia.
• 1906: Expansion into specialized nutritional products.
• 1924: Nutricia acquired a dairy factory in Cuijk, Netherlands, which became an important production center for specialized nutrition.
• 1946: Nutricia established dedicated research facilities in Zoetermeer, Netherlands.
• 1950: It introduced Nutrition News and began systematically sharing nutritional knowledge with healthcare professionals.
• 1995: Nutricia developed an intestinal simulation model with scientific and academic partners to study digestion and nutrient behavior.
• 2012: It launched Fortimel Compact Protein, a high-protein, high-energy medical nutrition product designed for patients with disease-related malnutrition.
• 2016: It advanced its amino-acid-based nutrition for infants with cow’s-milk allergy.
• 2019: Danone opened a new specialized-nutrition plant in Cuijk.

Nutricia describes evidence-based discovery and scientific research as central to the development of its nutritional solutions.

A major turning point came in 2007, when Danone acquired Royal Numico, the Dutch nutrition company to which Nutricia belonged. The acquisition strengthened Danone’s position in health and specialized nutrition.

Nutricia subsequently became an important brand within Danone’s Specialized Nutrition business.

Today, Nutricia is described by Danone as a brand supporting patients, families, and healthcare professionals with specialized nutritional products across different stages of life.

Nutricia’s portfolio is considerably broader than ordinary baby formula.

Early-life nutrition

One major area is infant and early-life nutrition.

Products and research in this area are designed to address nutritional needs during infancy and childhood, including situations where children have specific dietary or nutritional requirements.

Depending on the country, Nutricia’s broader Danone portfolio can include specialized infant formulas and nutrition for children with particular dietary needs.

Medical nutrition

The other major pillar is medical nutrition.

These products are designed for people whose nutritional requirements are affected by illness, medical conditions, recovery, aging, or difficulties consuming ordinary food.

Examples of areas addressed by specialized medical nutrition include:

• Disease-related malnutrition
• Nutritional support during illness and recovery
• Tube feeding
• Oral nutritional supplementation
• Pediatric medical nutrition
• Nutrition for people with specific digestive or metabolic requirements

Danone describes its Specialized Nutrition business as serving people ranging from babies to adults with health conditions such as cancer or stroke.

Well-known product families

The exact portfolio differs by country, but Nutricia has developed or marketed a number of recognizable specialized-nutrition brands and product families. Examples include:

• Nutrison — enteral/tube-feeding nutrition.
• Fortimel — oral medical nutrition, particularly nutritional supplements for adults.
• Neocate — specialized amino-acid-based nutrition, particularly associated with infants and children with certain food allergies.
• Infatrini — specialized pediatric nutrition.
• Various country-specific infant and pediatric nutrition products.

Because Nutricia’s products are regulated differently in different markets, the available products and their approved uses can vary substantially from one country to another.

Nutricia has historically positioned itself not only as a food manufacturer but also as a nutrition-science and healthcare partner.

The company has developed educational resources for healthcare professionals and maintains programs intended to provide information about specialized nutrition. Its history includes dedicated dietitians educating healthcare professionals as early as the mid-20th century.

This healthcare orientation is particularly prominent in its medical-nutrition business, where products can be used as part of nutritional care under professional guidance.

An important distinction is that Nutricia’s infant-nutrition business does not position formula as superior to breastfeeding.

Danone states that breastfeeding is best and that infant formula is intended for circumstances in which babies are not breastfed. For specialized medical products, the company also emphasizes professional/medical supervision where appropriate.

This is particularly relevant because infant formula is subject to extensive regulation and international guidance concerning marketing, labeling, and appropriate use.

Nutricia has evolved from a Dutch company into an international specialized-nutrition brand. According to Nutricia, the brand is now present in more than 100 countries. 1

Its products and brand architecture differ between markets. In some countries, Nutricia is particularly visible in medical nutrition, while in others consumers may be more familiar with its infant and pediatric nutrition products or with related Danone brands.

Nutricia is part of Danone’s Specialized Nutrition business.

Danone divides its activities broadly into areas including:

• Essential Dairy & Plant-Based Products
• Waters
• Specialized Nutrition

Specialized Nutrition focuses on nutritional products for people with particular nutritional requirements, including infants and patients. Danone reports that its Specialized Nutrition business generated €9.3 billion in sales in 2025 and identifies itself as a global leader in early-life nutrition and adult medical nutrition in Europe. 3

Nutricia therefore operates within a much larger global nutrition company while retaining its own specialized-nutrition identity.

Nutricia’s current positioning centers on “Life-Transforming Nutrition.”

The underlying philosophy is that nutrition can play an important role at critical moments in life—particularly:

• Early development
• Childhood
• Illness
• Recovery
• Aging
• Living with specific medical or nutritional needs

The company describes its purpose as developing research-based nutritional solutions intended to address nutritional challenges throughout life.

In 2026, Nutricia is best understood not simply as a baby-formula brand, but as a global specialized-nutrition brand within Danone.

Its identity has evolved through three broad stages:

1. Infant nutrition → 2. Specialized/medical nutrition → 3. Global science-based nutrition across the life course

Its original innovation was focused on providing an alternative source of infant nutrition. Over more than a century, that focus expanded into nutritional solutions for people with specific medical and physiological needs.

Nutricia is therefore particularly significant in the fields of early-life nutrition, pediatric nutrition, clinical nutrition, enteral feeding, and medical nutrition.

1. Discover Nutricia
2. A long heritage of Life-Transforming nutrition
3. Nutricia: Pioneering nutrition for every stage of life