Transforming food systems
Building on our scientific strengths and innovation power, we have firm commitments to improve planet, people and livelihoods by 2030.
Getting better food to undernourished children makes them 33% more likely to escape the vicious cycle of poverty (according to our long-term partner the World Food Programme). There are many statistics on the challenge we face in feeding the world, but this one summarizes the life-changing role that better nutrition can play in giving vulnerable people everywhere a brighter future (especially in the first 1,000 days of life). It’s why we’re focused on using all the great nutritional science at our disposal to end ‘hidden hunger’, a condition of deficiencies in vitamins and minerals that afflicts two billion people worldwide.
When it comes to tackling malnutrition, we take our lead from the SDGs - particularly SDG 2, which advocates ‘zero hunger’ and aims to end all forms of malnutrition by 2030.
As one of the world’s leading manufacturers of vitamins, nutritional ingredients and food fortification technologies we’re well placed to develop and deliver better nutrition for people deficient in these ingredients. It’s why at DSM our team working on nutrition improvement provides a range of nutrient-rich foods ranging from micronutrient powders to fortified rice while working with humanitarian organizations, food companies and social enterprises to reach broad populations at scale.
We’re putting all our nutritional science expertise to good use by helping people who are malnourished lead fuller lives. It’s a big job: worldwide, more than 800 million people are still chronically undernourished, while around two billion suffer from micronutrient deficiencies.?However, our essential micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) are now fortifying the diets of approximately 100 million people every year..
DSM supports farmers’ livelihoods through?Africa Improved Foods (AIF), a social enterprise building resilient food systems by sourcing locally, manufacturing and selling nutritious, affordable, and accessible foods. In 2016, DSM together with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) of the World Bank Group, CDC Group (UK’s development finance institution) and FMO (Dutch development bank) set up AIF, as a Public Private Partnership with the Government of Rwanda. The first factory in Kigali, Rwanda produces fortified porridges supplemented with vitamins and minerals. Its target market for their highly nutritious foods is pregnant and lactating women and children in their first 1,000 days of life, when critical nutrients are essential to avoid malnutrition and stunting, an impairment that affects around 25% of children in Africa under five. Today, AIF reaches over 1.5 million children and young women every day – a number expected to reach 2 million soon. Around 300 staff members work at the factory, producing porridge flours with added milk powder, vitamins, and minerals. And all this is based on the produce of around 130,000 local farmers, working towards healthier and brighter lives for all.
Building on our scientific strengths and innovation power, we have firm commitments to improve planet, people and livelihoods by 2030.
Innovating and differentiating customers’ portfolios, inspiring consumers to rethink health as a priority.
As the leading science-based supplier of vitamins, carotenoids and nutritional lipids, DSM is addressing Hidden Hunger.