Duopharma partners the Live Green Co to develop plant-only wellness foods

KUALA LUMPUR: Duopharma Biotech Bhd has teamed up with US-based food-tech company, The Live Green Co., to explore the use of plant ingredients and technology to replace animal, synthetic and ultra-processed ingredients.

"We are always on the lookout for new innovations that promote better health as well as like-minded companies we can collaborate with to enhance our portfolio of wellness-focused products,” Duopharma Biotech group managing director Leonard Ariff Abdul Shatar said in his speech at a signing ceremony here today.

The two parties signed an agreement to collaborate to meet consumer demand for more sustainable wellness foods and pharmaceuticals.

Leonard Ariff said the collaboration will involve the development, manufacturing and commercialisation of plant-only wellness foods and plant-based pharmaceuticals for Duopharma Biotech’s consumer healthcare range.

The partnership will explore the development of plant-based pharmaceutical products by substituting ingredients that are animal-based or synthetic, speciality product development through research and development (R&D) collaboration to create a new range of plant-only functional foods catering for the unmet needs of patients with special dietary requirements.

"The collaboration with The Live Green Co. will enable us to broaden the number of plant-only wellness foods and plant-based pharmaceuticals offerings to consumers, thus expanding our market potential, while simultaneously reducing our carbon footprint from non-sustainable ingredients and under-optimised manufacturing processes,” Leonard Ariff said.

Duopharma Biotech’s collaboration with The Live Green Co. will see at least two reformulated products offered to consumers by 2024.

Duopharma’s consumer brands that will soon carry plant-only or plant-based tags include Flavettes, Champs, Proviton, Uphamol and Naturalle, among others, Leonard Ariff said.

The decision to replace existing ingredients with plant alternatives is an important step to realise Duopharma Biotech’s climate performance goal of reducing greenhouse gases throughout its supply chain.

The company also announced its environmental, social, and governance (ESG) commitment to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030, net zero carbon emissions by 2050 and to replace 50 per cent of single-use plastics with biodegradable ones within its operations by 2026, with an emphasis on new technology and digitalisation to reduce emissions more efficiently.

"There is a growing movement towards making healthier food and supplement decisions, and we aim to be among the companies meeting this demand in Malaysia and in our wider global market,” he added. - Bernama