Done right, the way that we grow, produce, and eat food benefits not only our own health, but that of society and the planet too. Yet how to feed everyone with nutritious and healthy food while protecting those who produce it and without further straining the environment? At DSM, a global leader in science-based nutrition, we’ve been striving to address these challenges for many years. In 2021, we stepped up our efforts by making explicit our ambition to transform the sustainability of global food systems as we continue delivering on our purpose of creating brighter lives for all.

Our vision: A world where everyone has access to nutrition and production of food leaves no footprint

We envisage a world where everyone has access to good nutrition. Where agriculture and the production of food leaves no environmental footprint. Where food loss and waste does not exist anymore. And where farmers and their communities don’t just survive but thrive. Building on our scientific strengths and innovation power, we have made firm, measurable commitments that will see us improve the health of the planet, of people, and of livelihoods by 2030.

Health for People: Closing the micronutrient gap and supporting immunity

At DSM, we’re working to provide good, affordable nutrition that supports better health and wellbeing.

More than two billion people worldwide lack essential micronutrients such as vitamins and minerals in their diets. We are working hand-in-hand with local and international partners to introduce innovative solutions for widescale staple food fortification and public health supplements for vulnerable people. Our initiatives are already helping several hundred million people each year, but we want to go further.

The global pandemic has highlighted the need for good nutrition – such as vitamins C and D, Omega-3 fatty acids and probiotics – to protect everyone’s health and immunity. We will work closer with governments and other partners to drive awareness of this important link and ensure sufficient vitamin intake for more people.

Health for Planet: Reducing livestock emissions and investing in plant-based protein

Food accounts for more than a quarter of all global greenhouse gas emissions and the world is moving further beyond the limits of what our planet can provide in terms of land and resources. DSM is working to transform how we can sustainably produce and consume food as a society.

Proteins are highly nutritious and fundamental to a healthy, balanced diet. However, animal farming impacts our climate and the natural world. At DSM, we are working closely with best-in-class industry partners to develop future-proof thinking, scientific breakthroughs, and cutting-edge technologies to help farmers develop cost-effective emissions-reduction practices.

At the same time, we are working to support alternatives, such as through enzymes that can deliver a better taste, texture, and mouthfeel in plant-based foods. We are directly investing in plant-based protein derived from canola (rapeseed) as well as from peas and beans as viable meat and dairy alternatives.

Healthy Livelihoods: Supporting and rewarding farmers for sustainability practices

We need to ensure that the farmers who produce our food can do so sustainably, while benefitting from new farming practices.

Rewarding farmers for applying the most sustainable methods, training them to help make it happen and supporting them to secure a steady income will be transformational. We will be scaling up Africa Improved Foods, our Joint Venture in Rwanda with local authorities and development agencies which aims to provide healthy food for the local population and a better, steadier income for smallholder farmers through local sourcing.

Long-term sustainability is at the heart of our purpose-led ethos – we were among the first companies to have an emissions reduction plan to be independently validated by the global Science Based Targets initiative to align with the Paris Climate Agreement. Our progress on these new ambitions will be externally audited each year in our Integrated Annual Report, with DSM one of the few companies in the world to seek reasonable assurance on all our impact reporting. The reason is simple: We cannot be successful in a world that fails.