Global reports of contaminations have increased governmental and consumer awareness of the importance of feed and food safety issues. The feed industry is equally affected: recently a dioxin-tainted natural pigment imported from Spain for use in animal feed was discovered in the Netherlands and France, leading to the withdrawal of the product from the market. This occurred only one month after the food issue in Ireland with dioxin-contaminated pork which may now lead to a major review of European food safety standards. All those involved in the food chain are affected by these events. Feed and food ingredients producers, manufacturers and retailers, as well as governments, are coping with serious challenges to reassure consumers and offer them better labelling on the food they buy.

DSM Nutritional Products, the world’s leading producer of vitamins, carotenoids, enzymes, eubiotics and premixes for the Animal and Human Nutrition & Health markets, has responded with the introduction of a new mark of excellence for all its products and services - Quality for Life™¹. This concept responds to growing demand for reliable and traceable products which meet today’s stringent safety and sustainability requirements. Quality for Life™ stands for ingredient quality, offers a clear point of differentiation and gives the assurance that DSM is committed to ensuring product quality and safety.

DSM’s definition of quality is conceived from a deep understanding of customer needs. Customers demand safety and reliability from the ingredients and premixes they buy. They are also keen about sustainable sourcing and the conditions under which products are manufactured. Quality for Life™ ensures the quality of processing procedures, from product conception through manufacture via quality control, quality assurance and product distribution all the way to after-sales service. DSM therefore offers its customers much more than just a product – they will benefit from a superior level of service as well.

Commenting on the initiative, A. Ruy Freire, President DSM Nutritional Products Animal Nutrition & Health, said: “Quality for Life™ represents DSM’s commitment to global quality, assuring customers of the same ingredient quality and safety standards, wherever they are in the world. Quality, reliability, traceability, sustainability as well as safety concerns are all highly topical issues which are influenced by regulatory developments and differ from country to country. The introduction of our Quality for Life™ seal across all DSM products for the feed and food industry formalises these practices and gives customers a tangible certification of our initiative”.

DSM Nutritional Products is present in more than a hundred countries worldwide with ten large production sites for nutritional ingredients, thirty-eight premix plants for Animal Nutrition & Health and eight premix plants for Human Nutrition & Health. It permits DSM to formulate products in response to specific customer needs and to deliver state-of-the-art quality products all over the world. The Quality for Life™ seal is designed to convey DSM’s values of quality and sustainability. Further information on the Quality for Life™ initiative can be found at www.qualityforlife.com or by contacting your local DSM representative. It will be introduced to the feed industry at the VIV Asia on March 12th, 2009 (Booth: A010 Hall 105 - Quality for Life™ presentation in Room 225).

¹ Quality for Life™ is a trademark of Royal DSM N.V.

About DSM Nutritional Products
DSM Nutritional Products is the world's leading supplier of vitamins, carotenoids and other fine chemicals to the feed, food, pharmaceutical and personal care industries. The business has sales of over EUR 2 billion and a long tradition as a pioneer in the discovery of new products, new formulations and attractive applications for all industry segments. For further company information please visit www.dsmnutritionalproducts.com.

DSM – the Life Sciences and Materials Sciences Company
Royal DSM N.V. creates innovative products and services in Life Sciences and Materials Sciences that contribute to the quality of life. DSM’s products and services are used globally in a wide range of markets and applications, supporting a healthier, more sustainable and more enjoyable way of life. End markets include human and animal nutrition and health, personal care, pharmaceuticals, automotive, coatings and paint, electrical and electronics, life protection and housing. DSM has annual net sales of EUR 9.3 billion and employs some 23,500 people worldwide. The company is headquartered in the Netherlands, with locations on five continents. DSM is listed on Euronext Amsterdam. More information: www.dsm.com.

For more information:
DSM Nutritional Products
Charlotte Frederiksen
Tel. +41 (0)61 815 83 54
Fax +41 (0)61 815 88 90
E-mail: charlotte.frederiksen@dsm.com

Forward-looking statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements. These statements are based on current expectations, estimates and projections of DSM and information currently available to the company. The statements involve certain risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict and therefore DSM does not guarantee that its expectations will be realized. Furthermore, DSM has no obligation to update the statements contained in this press release. The English language version of the press release is leading.