DuPont Nutrition & Health Marks 50 Years at its Largest Food R&D Center

31 Oct 2014 --- As it celebrates 50 years of innovation at the company’s largest R&D facility for food ingredients in Brabrand, Denmark, DuPont’s Nutrition & Health business is hosting food industry, government and academic leaders in discussions on how food and nutrition will evolve to meet growing global population needs in the next 50 years.

"Today we are celebrating 50 years of science and innovation at the core of our global food research activities.  It is here where we consolidate our knowledge to anticipate and address human needs around the world," said Craig F. Binetti, president of DuPont Nutrition & Health. “As we look to the next 50 years, we continue to work in close collaboration with our customers, governments, academia, NGOs and others to find new and better ways to solve food and nutrition challenges, and to create sustainable solutions essential to a better, safer and healthier life.” 

Food security is a growing challenge as the world’s population increases by more than 75 million people each year.  The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) projects that farmers will need to nearly double the world’s total food production to meet the growing demand. Most of these gains will need to be made by the 500 million smallholder farmers who produce much of the agricultural output in developing countries, and they will need to do so with less arable land and water. In addition, food waste is a growing concern.  Each year, one third of the food produced globally is wasted.

DuPont believes that overcoming the threats to the global food supply will require taking scientific innovation well beyond the lab into fields and local communities, especially in developing economies such as Sub-Saharan Africa and South and Southeast Asia where the majority of the chronically malnourished population live. 

DuPont businesses – Pioneer, Crop Protection, Nutrition & Health, Packaging & Industrial Polymers and Industrial Biosciences – are working together and are committed to making food more nutritious, safer and available to people everywhere.

"We know it will take continued cooperation, innovation and investment in agriculture, food and nutrition to overcome the vast challenges to feeding the world’s growing population," added Binetti. "At DuPont, collaboration and innovation are tools for success here and around the world; it is where we come together. And it is at the heart of our celebration today."

Scientific innovations have succeeded in significantly enhancing the quality and quantity of food production around the world. Innovations include maximizing the productivity potential of seeds – even in harsh conditions; keeping crops pest and disease free; enhancing the nutritional value of staple foods; and reducing waste by keeping food fresher longer.