Project Team

Jonathan Deutsch Food and Hospitality Management

Rose Ann DiMaria-Ghalili College of Nursing and Health Professions

Brandy-Joe Milliron Nutrition Science Department

Kathleen Fisher College of Nursing and Health Professions

Dimitri Pappas Orchard Solutions (Commercialization Partner)

Andrea Wenner Oak/Co-Created (Commercialization Partner)

Abstract

Oral Liquid Nutrition Supplements (OLNS) like Ensure® and Boost® are widely prescribed to older adults and patients with a wide variety of medical conditions, representing over two billion dollars in annual sales. However, there is very low patient satisfaction with these products resulting in adherence rates as low as 37%.1 They are expensive and unappealing, their low adherence rendering them ineffective as well. Our value proposition is to offer a functional frozen dessert, Ice Cream Therapy, with proprietary ingredients that delivers superior nutrition to canned OLNS but with multi-sensory appeal that fits into an individual’s lifestyle. By the end of this proposed project we hope to: (1) turn our prototype into an optimized manufacturing standard, meeting the flavor, format, and nutritional needs of our target population, older adults 60 years of age and over who are recommended OLNS; (2) test the acceptability and performance of the product compared to OLNS among older adults; and (3) perform marketing research in tandem with a commercialization partner to determine the strategy for commercialization and distribution.