An urgent shift is needed in global food systems

The numbers speak for themselves: 2.4 billion people struggle to get regular access to sufficient food1, more than a third of global GHG emissions are generated by food systems2, and more than a third of all food is lost or wasted3. Food systems have a significant impact on Earth’s planetary boundaries4– the critical environmental thresholds within which humanity can safely operate – so an urgent shift is needed.

We are taking action, collaborating with various stakeholders including governments and knowledge partners, the food industry and associations, as well as our customers, to enable greater food security and reduce food loss & waste while improving livelihoods and increasing access to food. The goal is to collectively shape more sustainable, resilient, and equitable global food systems for generations to come.

How we contribute

Food processing and packaging are essential to the transformation of food systems. With our global presence and end-to-end solutions for the food industry, we can play a role in Moving food forward.

 

Watch the movie to find out more.

How we contribute

Food processing and packaging are essential to the transformation of food systems. With our global presence and end-to-end solutions for the food industry, we can play a role in Moving food forward.

 

Watch the movie to find out more.

Our four pathways to drive change

We are committed to driving change and being a positive influence on the way food systems can work in the future. Following a consultative process with the aim of finding ways to translate ambitions into actions, we have identified four key pathways. Along with our value chains, we believe that these pathways can contribute to and align with the critical transitions for food and land transformation set out by the Food and Land Use Coalition5.

Artistic illustration man with straw hat

Enabling transition towards more sustainable dairy6

The dairy industry plays an important role in supporting livelihoods, food security, and nutrition. We are collaborating within the global dairy value chain to address its environmental challenges by reducing GHG emissions.

Artistic illustration woman and people in various situations

Innovating for new food sources

Together with innovative startups, academia and food industry players, we are leveraging cutting-edge techniques and technologies to explore and bring to market new food sources that have the potential to feed a growing population while using fewer natural resources.

Artistic illustration man and people in various situations

Reducing food loss and waste

Our contribution to reducing food loss and waste is two-fold - developing food processing technologies that help reduce food loss during production, including new solutions to turn side-streams into value-added products. Our aseptic packaging solutions also help reduce food waste by keeping perishable products safe for longer.

Artistic illustration and people in various situations

Scaling access to safe nutrition through sustainable food packaging7

For decades, our aseptic processing and packaging technology has made it possible to protect perishable foods, enabling longer shelf life which helps promote essential food access around the world. We continue to develop and promote sustainable food packaging solutions that minimise environmental impact, preserve food quality and improve access to safe food.

Our targets towards 2030

We have set measurable targets tied to our pathways, that iterate our role in food systems transformation to accelerate change.

The future of food systems – a white paper series

How could global food systems better sustain our planet and its people by 2040? We have collaborated with EY-Parthenon on a a series of white papers that explore the opportunities, key enablers and critical success factors for a preferred future by 2040, and outline global focus areas and collective actions to accelerate the transition.

Actions & solutions

Further reading

Woman eating salad chart illustration

What is the future of health and nutrition?

To find out what consumers think about the latest innovations in food, and to discover what the priorities are in the future when it comes to health and dietary habits, we interviewed 5,000 consumers along with food and beverage experts from around the world.

Collage, people, figures and charts

Committed to our future – Sustainability Report

Our annual Sustainability Report provides a comprehensive picture of how we are collaborating across the globe to contribute to the development of the food & beverage industry, and it details our sustainability performance. Read more on our actions and progress.

Food in a bowl

The potential of new food8

New food technologies, such as biomass and precision fermentation, have the potential to feed a growing population while minimising use of agricultural land and animals in production. We’re collaborating with an international network of stakeholders from the public, private and academic sectors to advance innovation in new food.

Senegal farmer with cows

Supporting food security

Food security embraces the many complex factors and systems that describe our relationship with food, including health, environmental, and economic outcomes. As the population grows and climate change quickens, we need to improve every element of the global food chain to deliver future food security.

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Footnotes

1Goal 2: Zero Hunger - United Nations Sustainable Development

2Food systems are responsible for 34% of global anthropogenic GHG emissions. (2021), Crippa, M. et al. Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s43016-021-00225-9

3WWF 2022 https://www.saveonethird.org

4Definition: Planetary boundaries is a framework to describe the limits within which humanity can continue to develop and thrive Rockström, Johan; Steffen, Will; Noone, Kevin; Persson, Åsa; Chapin, F. Stuart; Lambin, Eric F.; Lenton, Timothy M.; Scheffer, Marten; Folke, Carl; Schellnhuber, Hans Joachim; Nykvist, Björn (2009). "A safe operating space for humanity". Nature. 461 (7263): 472–475.

5Food and Land Use Coalition | World Resources Institute (wri.org)

6Definition: Sustainable dairy is defined as a dairy industry that emits less greenhouse emissions by introducing technologies, equipment and best practices in production and processing to safeguard nutrition security and sustain a billion livelihoods for tomorrow, while helping secure a future for us all. Read more at Global Dairy platform

7Sustainable food packaging is defined as a packaging that achieves its functional requirements with minimal environmental impact, that is made from responsibly sourced renewable or recycled materials, is recyclable, and has low carbon footprint in regards to manufacturing, production, shipping, and recycling.

8New food sources is a term broadly referring to any food ingredient that lacks an established history of human consumption, or ingredients made from innovative new processes. Also referred to as “novel foods”. Precise legal definitions vary from region to region.