Future Foods Lab: Nomad Foods advances two startups to concept development
Swedish clean-label pizza brand For Real! Foods and Spanish functional snack maker Mia Puccia enter the next innovation phase
Nomad Foods has announced For Real! Foods and Mia Puccia as the first companies selected to partner with the business through its Future Foods Lab, a venture clienting initiative in partnership with global innovation network, Innoget.
The two businesses emerged as winners of the Future Foods Lab’s Personal Peak challenge, which explored both Ready‑to‑Eat and Ready‑to‑Cook food solutions that support everyday wellbeing.
For Real! Foods is a Swedish frozen food company specialising in clean‑label, allergen‑friendly products made with carefully selected ingredients. Its range includes nutritious and convenient frozen pizzas, designed for consumers who value simple, transparent and great-tasting food. The company was selected due to its strong performance in the Swedish market, clear potential to grow, and collaborative way of working.
Mia Puccia is a Spanish food manufacturing company operating an IFS‑certified production facility in Alcorcón, Madrid. The company specialises in nutrient‑dense, clean‑label food products, with an initial focus on functional sweet snacks and energy balls. The Company was selected for its unique combination of food technology, global culinary influences, and applied food science expertise.
Nomad Foods will now move forward with both partners into a concept development phase, sharpening their proposition with a strong focus on the consumer experience. If successful, this will be followed by ‘test‑and‑learn’ validation in-market.
Carly Arnold, Chief RDQ Officer at Nomad Foods, said: “When we launched the Future Foods Lab last year, our ambition was clear: to fast-track market-ready solutions to real business challenges, and to identify partners who are already proving what’s possible. Our Personal Peak challenge was the first test of that ambition, and both For Real! Foods and Mia Puccia showcased the type of agile, delivery‑focused credentials that we want to work with. They combine strong technical capability with a clear understanding of consumer needs and a genuine openness to collaboration. We’re excited to move forward into the next phase together.”
Daniel Nowak, CEO and Co-founder of For Real! Foods, said: “For Real! Foods is genuinely impressed by Nomad Foods’ friendly, holistic and ambitious approach, as well as the way team members across all departments are driving the programme forward.”
Luis Felipe Rego, Founder of Mia Puccia, said: “What stands out most about the Future Foods Lab is that Nomad Foods treats us as a genuine partner, not just another startup in a programme. Their willingness to open doors across their R&D, quality, and marketing teams has accelerated our innovation in ways we couldn't have achieved on our own.”
As part of Nomad Foods’ innovation strategy, the Future Foods Lab explores market-ready solutions proposed by startups to address key business challenges, which can then be piloted and scaled across Europe.
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