With the number of people aged over 60 expected to double by 2050, and chronic diseases on the rise, the need for medical nutrition is growing. Disease-related malnutrition already affects between 30% and 50% of hospitalized patients, according to WHO Europe.

To help address these growing health needs and support healthy ageing for all, Danone is accelerating medical nutrition as a key pillar of its Renew Danone strategy. The Group is strengthening its production capabilities, deepening its scientific expertise, and continuing to innovate to meet evolving patient needs.

In France, Danone Santé Nutrition, which brings together Danone’s early life nutrition and medical nutrition activities, builds on this expertise to support patients and healthcare professionals, helping to better integrate specialized nutrition into care pathways.

With this investment, Steenvoorde is now one of Europe’s leading specialized nutrition sites, bringing together three strategic manufacturing activities: infant formula, medical nutrition and specialty dairy ingredients produced through advanced filtration technologies developed in recent years.

Within Danone’s network, the Steenvoorde plant stands out for its unique industrial expertise in producing ingredients used in specialized nutrition products, many of which are also manufactured on site.

With this expansion, Steenvoorde will now produce part of the Fortimel range. Its diverse formats, textures, and recipes, including plant-based alternatives, address specific nutritional needs and a wide variety of preferences.

At Steenvoorde, Danone is completing a €70 million investment dedicated to medical nutrition. Launched in 2024, the project also includes a biomass boiler inaugurated in February 2026, which is helping to significantly reduce the site’s carbon footprint.

With a capacity of nearly 20 million liters of oral nutritional supplements per year, the new line will produce nearly 150 Fortimel product references. It is the largest medical nutrition production line in France, both in terms of production capacity and size. Steenvoorde illustrates how Danone turns scientific excellence into industrial scale, bringing innovative nutritional solutions to patients who need them most.

The investment further strengthens Danone’s presence in the Hauts-de-France region, a historic home for the Group and a major dairy-producing area. The site works with more than 400 partner farms, while regional milk collection has increased sixfold in four years, contributing to the vitality of the local dairy sector, and supporting France’s industrial, health and economic sovereignty.

With 115 years of industrial history, the site now accounts for more than 400 direct jobs. Together with the Bailleul dairy plant and the Lilpark logistics center, Danone employs more than 700 people in the region.