Reducing food loss & waste

$940 billion lost or wasted annually

From producer to consumer

At DSM we’re helping to prevent the world’s colossal food loss and waste by creating more resource-efficient food production, ingenious packaging, antioxidants that keep food nutritious and safe, and better animal nutrition. Our aim is to reduce the world’s $940 billion food waste bill every year - which also accounts for about 8% of total global greenhouse gas emissions, ecosystem degradation and biodiversity loss.

Taking a bite out of waste

Today, around one-third of the world’s food is lost or wasted during production or consumption. This is why we strive to work with our business partners to tackle this challenge in food production, transportation and consumption. We want to make better use of the raw materials and get more from the food that we actually use - while ensuring food safety, preserving nutritional value and taste, and extending shelf life. Here are just a few ways we’re achieving it. 

Ripened cheese, no inedible crust

How do you produce a delicious, nutritious product that lasts? Our Pack-Age® cheese ripening product offers an ingenious way of protecting the product against mold during natural ripening, thus delivering a fantastic, fresh cheese to the consumer. The science behind Pack-Age is based on a moisture-permeable, breathable membrane that eliminates the need for an inedible crust. This avoids up to 10% of the cheese being lost. What’s more, the increased packaging efficiency lowers the carbon footprint of cheese production by 10%. Good for people, planet and profit.

If all the world’s naturally ripened Gouda & Parmesan cheeses were ripened with Pack-Age, we’d save 3.6 billion liters of milk; 200,000 tons less cheese would be wasted; and there would be €200 million more profit to share throughout the value chain.

Antioxidants that extend shelf life

If food waste were a country, it would be the third largest emitter of global greenhouse gas emissions worldwide, behind the United States and China. And the financial cost is almost as serious as the environmental one – amounting to an astounding $1 trillion each year.

One way we can fight this is by tackling food spoilage - a deterioration in color, texture, smell or taste – which is what we are doing at DSM. With antioxidants like vitamins C and E, we are creating a more natural and scientifically proven solution that slows down the oxidation processes, extends the ‘shelf life’ and reduces waste. Foods that last longer after opening are great for consumers’ pockets, but also good for their health - thanks to the intrinsic health benefits of our vitamins. 

Preventing eggs going to waste

One clear way to maintain resource efficiency, improve yield and tackle food waste from protein products like chicken and eggs is with animal feed solutions. Our Hy-D® feed solution improves bird health and bone strength, including eggshells. This benefits animal welfare, makes more chicken meat available for consumers, and also helps strengthen eggshells - which means 15% fewer eggs being broken and instead remaining saleable. 

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