June 28, 2005
Danisco highlights a practical approach for 'farm to fork' sustainability
Sustainability has rapidly become a key issue within the food industry. However, according to Danisco, many of those involved in the food chain still struggle to grasp its importance, recognise exactly what it means or know how to implement a practical, effective policy to address this increasingly important area of business.
Danisco A/S, a top performer in the world's most prestigious sustainability indices, is committed to sustainable development, which is why Søren Vogelsang, Vice President for Corporate Sustainable Development, would address the second annual 'Corporate Responsibility in Food and Agribusiness' conference in London on September 29th and 30th. His paper, 'How to introduce sustainability from farm to fork'would outline Danisco's approach, offer practical advice and highlight examples of sustainability relevant to all sectors of the food industry.
With 9000 employees, Danisco A/S is one of the world's largest producers of food ingredients, its global vision to be the leading supplier of selected food and feed ingredients being focused on the concept of sustainability. Danisco integrates sustainability into every element of its business practices, balancing the requirements of nature with those of its employees and the public, while creating a profit for the benefit of shareholders and wider society.
The company is extremely proud of its sustainability record, which has featured highly in the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices for the Food Industry for three consecutive years. This highlights the effectiveness of systems that the company has developed to protect not only its own reputation and brands but also those of its customers. Danisco's approach to sustainability is based on four pillars of sustainability:
- SHEQ (Safety, Health, Environment and Quality Management, together with Continuous Improvement);
- Product Safety (Food Safety Assessments, HACCP, traceability and value chain management);
- Environmental Ethics (Use of modern biotechnology, including alternative experimental models);
- Social Issues and Business Integrity (Employee Rights, International Society, Security, Compliance and Business Partners).
Danisco, which actively promotes these as part of its internal procedures and audit programmes, has dedicated staff to manage sustainable development, evaluates suppliers in these areas and promotes sustainable development to ensure delivery of safe, sustainable products to consumers. The success of this policy is confirmed by growing interest from investors and analysts.
In the context of the agricultural industry, sustainability involves the development and production of food with regard to environmental impact, the production methods used and social responsibility.
Danisco Animal Nutrition's objective is to provide sustainable animal nutrition solutions to meet consumer demand for safe, high quality food at affordable prices, with care and attention to the environment. The company also pioneered the development and use of enzymes and betaine in animal nutrition. With offices in the UK, Spain, Denmark, Finland, the US, Singapore and China, including production facilities in Denmark and Finland, Danisco Animal Nutrition plays a leading role in the nutrition of poultry, pigs and some aqua species.
Sold in more than 60 countries, Danisco Animal Nutrition's products include:
- Avizyme®, Porzyme® and Grindazym™, feed enzyme products which improve the digestibility of pig and poultry feed, resulting in more meat or eggs from less feed, lower feed costs and reduced manure/nitrogen production.
- Phyzyme®, feed enzymes for pigs and poultry based on a novel phytase that is highly efficient at releasing phosphorus from feed ingredients. This provides opportunities to lower feed costs and reduce phosphorus excretion by 30 percent.
- Betafin®, a highly purified form of betaine extracted from sugar beet, which can reduce feed costs by replacing all added choline chloride and some added methionine in pig and poultry feeds. Betafin also functions as an osmolyte, reducing dehydration and improving gut structure, thus increasing nutrient absorption in pigs and poultry. This results in more uniform growth, particularly when the animal is under stress from disease or heat.
- Flavodan™, feed flavours to help optimise feed intake for efficient animal production.
Andrea Barletta, Global Marketing Director, Danisco Animal Nutrition, commented, "Sustainability is at the heart of our efforts, which are driven by our customers' key needs, namely food safety, the environment, cost reduction, differentiation and consistency."
"A clear policy to address sustainability and corporate responsibility issues can obviously contribute to business growth. Within Danisco, we believe that our excellent sustainability record differentiates us from our competitors, which is why we continually strive to incorporate sustainability into everything we do."
Further details are available at www.danisco.com/animalnutrition.
For further information, please contact:
Andrea Barletta, Julian Cooksley,
Global Marketing Director, Account Manager,
Danisco Animal Nutrition. Kendalls Communications.
Tel: +44 (0) 1672 517777 Tel: +44 (0) 1394 610022
Email:andrea.barletta@danisco.com Email:julian.cooksley@kendallscom.co.uk
