Two thirds of consumers living in the UK, Denmark, Sweden and Germany do not see nutrition as part of a sustainable diet, which could lead to them becoming ‘nutrition blind’ and have unintended consequences for their health. These are the findings of a recent survey of more than 8,000 consumers in these countries conducted by YouGov on behalf of Arla Foods, a Danish multinational cooperative and Scandinavia’s largest producer of dairy products.
While most consumers in the four countries say that they try to make sustainable choices wherever they can, their focus is mostly on carbon footprint, biodiversity, packaging and animal welfare. The nutritional value of the food product is to a much lesser extent being considered when choosing a sustainable diet. Only one in three (34%) consumers say that they associate nutrition with sustainable diets.
Sustainable diets, as defined by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, consist of multiple essential components which include the environmental impact but also the nutritional value of the diet.
Professor Judy Buttriss, public health nutritionist and former Director General of the British Nutrition Foundation from 2007 to 2021 commented on the survey results: “It’s great that we continue to grow our awareness of how food production and our diets affect the climate and nature. However, this research shows that many people tend to overlook the other determinants of sustainable diets, especially nutrition, which has always been the fundamental purpose of food and an essential factor for our long-term physical and mental well-being. Becoming ‘nutrition blind’ can have unintended consequences for our health and we need to bring nutrition back into the conversation about sustainable diets.”
Hidden hunger
With more than half of the European population overweight and every sixth person obese according to the World Health Organization (WHO), overnutrition is by far the most serious nutrition-related health issue in Europe. However, there is also a third and more hidden problem in both developing and developed countries, which is often seen in combination with obesity: low intakes of micronutrients (vitamins and minerals).
Lea Brader, Nutrition Scientist, Arla Foods, explained: “People at risk of micronutrient deficiency might not realise it. If your diet is poor, you can still get your energy from the macronutrients such as carbohydrate and fat. However, you don’t necessarily get sufficient amounts of micronutrients such as iron, zinc, calcium, iodine, vitamin A, B-vitamins, and vitamin C. This is why micronutrient deficiency is also called ‘hidden hunger’.”
WHO has estimated that more than two billion people globally suffer from ‘hidden hunger’ and that 20% of these are Europeans. In the UK, the National Diet and Nutrition Survey has documented a general decline in intake of some vitamins and minerals over the period from 2008 to 2017, particularly in adolescents. For example, the survey shows that approximately every fifth teenage girl and around every seventh teenage boy in the UK has a low intake of calcium, vitamin B2 and iodine.
Dietary guidelines
Encouragingly, Arla’s survey shows a clear desire among Northern European consumers to find out more information about how to make their diets more sustainable. However, half (49%) of them feel confused about how to eat sustainably and 52% state that they would like more information.
Brader said: “With tonnes of information in the public domain that may or may not be scientifically validated, it can certainly be difficult to decide on what to eat to stay healthy and live sustainably. A good place to start is to follow your national dietary guidelines.”
Official dietary guidelines promote diets that are nutritious, accessible, affordable and culturally acceptable. More and more countries have started to also include consideration of the climate impact of the food as well as food waste issues.
Key results of the survey
The survey was conducted by YouGov of 8,212 consumers in the UK, Denmark, Sweden and Germany from 20-24 September 2021.
- Only 34% associate nutrition with sustainable diets – 66% do not consider it a feature of sustainable diets.
- The majority associate environmentally friendly (58%) and locally produced (52%) to be features of sustainable diets
- 63% say they try to make sustainable food choices whenever they can
- 49% feel confused about how to eat sustainably
- 52% would like more information about how to choose a sustainable diet
FAO’s definition of sustainable diets
‘Sustainable Diets are those diets with low environmental impacts which contribute to food and nutrition security and to healthy life for present and future generations. Sustainable diets are protective and respectful of biodiversity and ecosystems, culturally acceptable, accessible, economically fair and affordable; nutritionally adequate, safe and healthy while optimizing natural and human resources.’
https://www.un.org/en/academic-impact/shifting-sustainable-diets
Arla Foods
https://www.arla.com/
FrieslandCampina-Danone collaboration leads to 17% greenhouse gas reduction
dairy, regenerative farming, Sustainability, /in E-News /by panglobalSimone Boitelle, Director Global Corporate Affairs FrieslandCampina (left), Yann-Gaël Rio, Danone’s Global Vice-President for Nature & Agriculture (centre) and member dairy farmer Edwin Daatselaar (right)
A three year collaboration between FrieslandCampina and Danone has led to more than 17% reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (measured from 2015 to 2020). This reduction has been realised through FrieslandCampina’s dairy farmers implementing sustainable farming practices and green energy projects. This is applied for dairy ingredients specifically provided to Danone. FrieslandCampina used the Annual Nutrient Cycling Assessment to track progress resulting from the sustainable farming practices. This extensive monitoring tool is used by almost 10,000 FrieslandCampina member dairy farms and gives farm specific insights, such as the size of their carbon footprint.
Committed to making our food system more sustainable, FrieslandCampina and Danone are both running extensive sustainability programmes to reduce their environmental impact. Both companies have committed to reaching net zero, as one of their climate goals, as well as improving soil health and biodiversity. One of the ways to achieve these goals is through regenerative agriculture practices. FrieslandCampina and Danone both want to support farmers on the journey towards a sustainable future, which led to this partnership.
Net zero and nature-positive
Simone Boitelle, Director Global Corporate Affairs FrieslandCampina noted: “For over 150 years already, FrieslandCampina believes in cooperation to achieve great results. And this collaboration is yet another great example. Supporting farmers to produce milk in balance with nature, is the key to a more sustainable, climate neutral and nature positive future. I am very proud of our member farmers who make this possible, they deserve the stage for these strong results!”
Yann-Gaël Rio, Danone’s Global Vice-President for Nature & Agriculture, added: “Sustainable dairy farming is a key priority in Danone’s journey to achieving net zero emissions. This partnership demonstrates that by combining our expertise, we can accelerate the adoption of regenerative agriculture practices to help reduce the climate impact of dairy farming. While this is a great step, there is more to be done, and we are looking forward to supporting more farmers in their transition by extending this partnership for an additional three years.”
What did the FrieslandCampina dairy farmers do?
Depending on the nature of their farm, dairy farmers can take different measures to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. The impacts from the measures implemented were tracked through the Annual Nutrient Cycling Assessment. Some examples of the measures taken are:
What’s next for regenerative farming?
The positive results from this partnership encouraged Danone and FrieslandCampina to extend the collaboration for an additional three years. The two companies will continue their efforts together with the goal to reduce GHG emissions resulting from the production of ingredients sourced from FrieslandCampina by over 7%. This would result in almost a 25% GHG emission reduction over the course of the multi-year collaboration.
In the coming years, FrieslandCampina and Danone say they will continue their joint efforts to create innovative solutions to scale up and accelerate the transition to regenerative farming.
WACKER and Biosyntia to develop large-scale production process for sustainable biotin
, /in E-News /by panglobalDanish biotech company Biosyntia and the Munich-based WACKER Group will form a partnership to develop a large-scale production process for fermentation-based biotin. The aim of the collaboration is to make fermentation-based biotin available for the market as a sustainable, non-chemical, European-sourced alternative. The biotin currently available on the market is synthetically produced from non-renewable petrochemicals.
Biotin, also known as vitamin B7, is a coenzyme for the metabolism of proteins, fats and carbohydrates. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) attributes health-promoting effects to biotin, including, for example, that it contributes to normal functioning of the nervous system and macronutrient metabolisms as well as to the maintenance of normal skin and hair.
Demand for biotin, which is also used as a dietary supplement, is rising sharply – driven by the health and well-being trend. A recent study predicts growth of around 10 percent per year in the coming years. In 2026, the global biotin market is expected to reach a volume of US$376 million.
Sustainable fermentation, the future of production
WACKER and Biosyntia will jointly develop a large-scale biotin production process based on sustainable fermentation. The companies are dedicating considerable R&D resources in a multi-year program, which will build on Biosyntia’s world-leading biotin technology. Only plant-based raw materials will be used in the fermentative production.
“Demand for more natural products is increasing – and with it the need for companies to use ingredients that are sustainable. Producing active ingredients from advanced fermentation is the future of production,” explained Martin Plambech, CEO of Biosyntia.
Biotin has a wide range of applications in food & beverages, infant nutrition, nutraceuticals, pet food, animal feed, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics.
“With fermentation-based biotin, we want to offer customers a non-chemical, sustainable alternative that is produced in Europe,” said Susanne Leonhartsberger, President of WACKER Biosolutions, WACKER’s life science division.
Biosynthia-WACKER synergy
Biosyntia is considered a global leader in the development of fermentation processes for production of selected small molecules. The Danish biotech company has a proprietary microbial technology platform, on which it is building a rapidly growing pipeline of active ingredients for the beauty and nutrition industries. WACKER brings strong expertise in biotechnological process development and industrial-scale fermentation to the partnership. The company also has a deep understanding of requirements and regulations of the food and nutraceutical industry. WACKER offers a broad portfolio here, including fermentation-based L-cysteine and solutions for formulating effective dietary supplements.
Most consumers in UK, Denmark, Sweden and Germany do not see nutrition as part of sustainable diets – Arla Foods survey
Sustainability, /in E-News, Featured Articles /by panglobalTwo thirds of consumers living in the UK, Denmark, Sweden and Germany do not see nutrition as part of a sustainable diet, which could lead to them becoming ‘nutrition blind’ and have unintended consequences for their health. These are the findings of a recent survey of more than 8,000 consumers in these countries conducted by YouGov on behalf of Arla Foods, a Danish multinational cooperative and Scandinavia’s largest producer of dairy products.
While most consumers in the four countries say that they try to make sustainable choices wherever they can, their focus is mostly on carbon footprint, biodiversity, packaging and animal welfare. The nutritional value of the food product is to a much lesser extent being considered when choosing a sustainable diet. Only one in three (34%) consumers say that they associate nutrition with sustainable diets.
Sustainable diets, as defined by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, consist of multiple essential components which include the environmental impact but also the nutritional value of the diet.
Professor Judy Buttriss, public health nutritionist and former Director General of the British Nutrition Foundation from 2007 to 2021 commented on the survey results: “It’s great that we continue to grow our awareness of how food production and our diets affect the climate and nature. However, this research shows that many people tend to overlook the other determinants of sustainable diets, especially nutrition, which has always been the fundamental purpose of food and an essential factor for our long-term physical and mental well-being. Becoming ‘nutrition blind’ can have unintended consequences for our health and we need to bring nutrition back into the conversation about sustainable diets.”
Hidden hunger
With more than half of the European population overweight and every sixth person obese according to the World Health Organization (WHO), overnutrition is by far the most serious nutrition-related health issue in Europe. However, there is also a third and more hidden problem in both developing and developed countries, which is often seen in combination with obesity: low intakes of micronutrients (vitamins and minerals).
Lea Brader, Nutrition Scientist, Arla Foods, explained: “People at risk of micronutrient deficiency might not realise it. If your diet is poor, you can still get your energy from the macronutrients such as carbohydrate and fat. However, you don’t necessarily get sufficient amounts of micronutrients such as iron, zinc, calcium, iodine, vitamin A, B-vitamins, and vitamin C. This is why micronutrient deficiency is also called ‘hidden hunger’.”
WHO has estimated that more than two billion people globally suffer from ‘hidden hunger’ and that 20% of these are Europeans. In the UK, the National Diet and Nutrition Survey has documented a general decline in intake of some vitamins and minerals over the period from 2008 to 2017, particularly in adolescents. For example, the survey shows that approximately every fifth teenage girl and around every seventh teenage boy in the UK has a low intake of calcium, vitamin B2 and iodine.
Dietary guidelines
Encouragingly, Arla’s survey shows a clear desire among Northern European consumers to find out more information about how to make their diets more sustainable. However, half (49%) of them feel confused about how to eat sustainably and 52% state that they would like more information.
Brader said: “With tonnes of information in the public domain that may or may not be scientifically validated, it can certainly be difficult to decide on what to eat to stay healthy and live sustainably. A good place to start is to follow your national dietary guidelines.”
Official dietary guidelines promote diets that are nutritious, accessible, affordable and culturally acceptable. More and more countries have started to also include consideration of the climate impact of the food as well as food waste issues.
Key results of the survey
The survey was conducted by YouGov of 8,212 consumers in the UK, Denmark, Sweden and Germany from 20-24 September 2021.
FAO’s definition of sustainable diets
‘Sustainable Diets are those diets with low environmental impacts which contribute to food and nutrition security and to healthy life for present and future generations. Sustainable diets are protective and respectful of biodiversity and ecosystems, culturally acceptable, accessible, economically fair and affordable; nutritionally adequate, safe and healthy while optimizing natural and human resources.’
https://www.un.org/en/academic-impact/shifting-sustainable-diets
Arla Foods
https://www.arla.com/
Alfa Laval membrane filtration systems to turn crop leftovers into prebiotic dietary fibre for a Danish food facility
Sustainability, /in E-News, Product news /by panglobalAlfa Laval, a world leader in heat transfer, centrifugal separation and fluid handling, will supply membrane filtration systems to a food facility in Denmark for the production of healthy dietary fibre from crop leftovers. The company’s membranes will be used to extract fibres from sources such as brewers’ grains, corn stover and wheat straw, improving the circularity of the food chain.
The Alfa Laval membrane filtration systems will be used to recover and purify crop leftovers, mainly supplied from local farmers, and process it into prebiotic dietary fibre. These prebiotic fibres are not digestible by the human body but help ensure healthy bacteria growth in the stomach.
“This is an interesting order in a new and promising application for our membrane systems improving the circularity of the food chain,” says Nish Patel, President of the Food & Water Division at Alfa Laval “Our efficient membranes will be able to extract valuable fibres and thereby turn former waste into sellable ingredients, which will benefit our customers and the environment.”
www.alfalaval.com
Barry Callebaut makes CDP’s prestigious A List as a leader in corporate action and transparency on deforestation
Sustainability, /in E-News /by panglobalThe Barry Callebaut Group, a Switzerland-based cocoa processor and chocolate manufacturer, has for the first time made the CDP’s prestigious A List as a leader in corporate action and transparency on deforestation. This comes the company ranked for four years in a row as a CDP global climate leader with a score of A- for their climate reduction efforts.
Barry Callebaut is one of 24 high-performing companies, securing a place on CDP’s prestigious ‘A List’, out of nearly 12,000 companies scored by CDP in 2021.
CDP’s annual environmental disclosure and scoring process is widely recognized as the gold standard of corporate environmental transparency. In 2021, over 590 investors with over US$110 trillion in assets and 200 major purchasers with US$5.5 trillion in procurement spend requested companies to disclose data on environmental impacts, risks and opportunities through CDP’s platform.
A detailed and independent methodology is used by CDP to assess companies, allocating a score on the comprehensiveness of disclosure, awareness and management of environmental risks and demonstration of best practices associated with environmental leadership, such as setting ambitious and meaningful targets.
“This is our fourth consecutive year of being recognized as a leader by CDP, which shows tremendous appreciation of our Forever Chocolate progress to make sustainable chocolate the norm by 2025. It is an enormous challenge, but the recognition by CDP is testimony to the dedication of our people, every day, to continue to innovate, scale and remain focussed on our sustainability efforts,” commented Pablo Perversi, Chief Innovation, Sustainability & Quality Officer; Global Head of Gourmet, Barry Callebaut Group.
Paul Simpson, CEO of CDP, commented: “Many congratulations to all the companies on this year’s A List. Taking the lead on environmental transparency and action is one of the most important steps businesses can make, even more so in the year of COP26 and the IPCC’s Sixth Assessment Report. The scale of the risk to businesses from climate change, water insecurity and deforestation can no longer be ignored, and we know the opportunities of action far outweigh the risks of inaction. Leadership from the private sector is essential for securing global ambitions for a net-zero, nature positive and equitable world. Our A List celebrates those companies who are preparing themselves to excel in the economy of the future by taking action today.”
Carbon reduction and identifying forests with high conservation value
The Barry Callebaut Group says that by 2025, their goal is to be carbon and forest positive. Their journey to reach this ambition began in 2016 with the launch of Forever Chocolate, their plan to make sustainable chocolate the norm.
One milestone on their road to reduce deforestation in 2021, was the development, after four years of work with EcoVision Lab, part of ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, Switzerland) of a publicly available, industry-first, indicative High Carbon Stock (HCS) map, that identifies forests with high conservation value and areas where deforestation would cause the highest carbon emissions. This new innovative tool provides a highly automated, transparent, objective tool that generates HCS maps at global scale.
To become carbon positive Barry Callebaut have committed to assessing the carbon impact created by their own operations (scope 1), the impact generated by the energy they use (scope 2), and the impact of their entire supply chain (scope 3), which includes the production and processing of all the raw materials they source, and related Land Use Changes (LUC), which forms the biggest part of their carbon liability.
To illustrate, Barry Callebaut notes: “The use of animal feed additives is widely recognized as an effective means of reducing methane emissions in dairy cattle. To establish the most effective method to reduce our emissions, we worked in collaboration with Gold Standard and Agolin to develop a new methodology to quantify and certify carbon insetting for dairy within our chocolate supply chain. By developing this methodology we can also work more closely with our dairy suppliers to produce low carbon milk.”
The CDP A List
Finnish researchers grow sustainable coffee with cellular agriculture
, /in E-News /by panglobalVTT Technical Research Centre of Finland has successfully produced coffee cells in a bioreactor through cellular agriculture. The innovation can help to make the production of coffee more sustainable. The first batches produced by VTT in a laboratory in Finland smell and taste like conventional coffee.
Scientists identify protein that activates plant response to nitrogen deficiency
, /in E-News /by panglobalNitrates are critical for the growth of plants, so plants have evolved sophisticated mechanisms to ensure sufficient nitrate uptake from their environments. In a new study published in Nature Plants [1], researchers at Nagoya University, Japan, have identified a plant enzyme that is key to activating a nitrate uptake mechanism in response to nitrogen starvation. […]
Study shows flavonoid-rich foodstuffs lower blood pressure
, /in E-News /by panglobalConsuming more red wine, berries, apples, pears and tea on a regular basis could reduce your blood pressure, because of how the gut microbiome metabolises flavonoids, according to new research [1].
Microbes and hybrid vigour in maize
, /in E-News /by panglobalThe interaction between maize and soil microbes influences hybrid vigour, according to a recent study [1]. Many commercial varieties of crops such as maize are first-generation crosses of inbred lines, and their hybrid vigour leads to increased yield.
Climate change threatens food security of 65 nations
, /in E-News /by panglobalScientists have projected that millions of people in 65 nations globally, including those in Africa and South-East Asia and the Pacific, could face increased malnutrition as climate change and overfishing take their toll on fisheries.