Carbery and Synergy partner with EIT Food to advance sustainable nutrition innovation
Carbery Group and its flavour division, Synergy Flavours, have announced a strategic partnership with EIT Food to accelerate innovation in sustainable nutrition. The collaboration, revealed on 16 April 2025, will focus on developing practical solutions across key areas including dairy innovation, protein diversification, biotechnology, and healthy ageing initiatives.
Cross-sector innovation approach
The partnership integrates Carbery into the Biotech Alliance, a cross-sector initiative exploring cutting-edge technologies in food science and health. This collaboration brings together policymakers, growers, suppliers, and food manufacturers to develop scalable solutions that make protein-based nutrition more accessible and appealing to consumers.
“At Carbery, innovation and sustainability have long been at the heart of our strategy — from our work in dairy and protein science to our growing involvement in biotechnology,” said Sarah O’Neill, Global Strategy Director at Carbery Group. “By collaborating with partners across the EIT Food network, and leveraging Synergy’s flavour expertise, we can help ensure that future food innovations meet both nutritional needs and consumer expectations.”
Addressing food system challenges
The partnership addresses several critical challenges facing modern food systems, including climate change, resource scarcity, food waste, and diet-related diseases. By connecting key players across the agri-food sector, EIT Food aims to drive progress in circular food systems, digital traceability, sustainable agriculture, and targeted nutrition.
Paola Bassi, Marketing Director Europe at Synergy Flavours, highlighted the importance of taste in sustainable nutrition: “Synergy is proud to support Carbery as its dedicated flavour division in bringing sustainable nutrition to life through better taste and functionality. Our partnership with EIT Food reflects our commitment to open innovation and collaborative thinking, as we work towards more inclusive and resilient global food systems.”
Bridging supply chain gaps
A key focus of the collaboration is bridging gaps across the food supply chain. The initiative aims to ensure viable production models for farmers and manufacturers while developing high-quality products that appeal to consumers. This approach recognises the interconnected nature of food systems and the need for solutions that work at multiple points in the supply chain.
The partnership will leverage Carbery’s extensive experience in dairy, flavours, and nutritional ingredients alongside Synergy’s expertise in flavour innovation. With operations across 11 locations globally, including Ireland, the UK, the USA, Brazil, Italy, Indonesia, and Thailand, the companies are well-positioned to implement solutions on an international scale.
Technical capabilities and expertise
Synergy’s flavour creation and application capabilities span several countries, with commercial, manufacturing and technical support facilities in Ireland, the UK, Italy, the US, Brazil, and Thailand. This global presence provides market knowledge to develop flavour solutions for diverse food and beverage categories.
As a leader in flavourings, extracts, and essences, Synergy brings significant technical capabilities to the partnership, including expertise in masking off-notes in nutritional products and developing flavour solutions that enable sugar or butter reduction without compromising taste.
The collaboration with EIT Food, which is co-funded by the EU and represents the world’s largest food innovation community, provides a structured framework for addressing complex food system challenges through coordinated action and shared resources.
- For more information, visit: https://uk.synergytaste.com
