STELA is one of the structuring entities of the Institut sur la nutrition et les aliments fonctionnels (INAF), a center recognized by Université Laval, whose very essence lies in bringing together researchers whose work is wholly or partly focused on the development of dairy science.

The research teams are well-known for their expertise not only in food science and technology, but also in animal science, microbiology, process engineering, nutrition, physical chemistry, medicine and sustainable development. Multi-disciplinary research projects are diversified and focus as much on dairy production and processing as on human nutrition.