This week in industry news, dsm-firmenich bolstered its animal protein sustainability with a Danish partnership, and Nestlé tapped freeze-drying technology for enhancing soluble cold coffee products. Meanwhile, Corbion supported environmentally responsible aquaculture practices, and Tyson Foods targeted synthetic food dye reduction in meat products.

Sustainability highlights

dsm-firmenich Animal Nutrition & Health collaborated with Bureau Veritas Solutions Denmark, a testing, inspection, and certification service, to promote a credible sustainability measurement in animal protein production. The two organizations have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to leverage and verify dsm-firmenich’s Sustell life cycle assessment platform, to measure calculations and emission reductions for sustainable business practices in the feed and animal protein value chain.

Corbion joined the Sustainable Shrimp Partnership (SSP) as an associate member to support environmentally and socially responsible aquaculture practices. The move aims to advance transparency, accountability, and collaboration to address global aquaculture’s challenges, mainly through innovations like its algae-based Omega-3 feed ingredient that supports resilient supply chains. Corbion will participate in SSP initiatives to offer science-backed insights and sustainable solutions to help drive continuous improvement in shrimp production.

Research and innovation

Nestlé developed an innovative freeze-drying technique to improve cold coffee solubility in cold liquids to enhance the consumer experience. The move responds to a surge in cold coffee demands among consumers. The company’s coffee experts partnered with those of Starbucks to launch the Starbucks Crema Collection Premium Instant Coffee, which claims to deliver café-quality flavor and experiences in just seconds. The technology was first used in the launch of Nescafé Iced Blend in Japan in 2023, marking the company’s first foray into iced instant coffee in the Japanese market.

A Stanford University study revealed that more frequent hot weather and droughts have significantly impacted crop yields. Global yields of barley, maize, and wheat are 4% to 13% lower than they would have been without climate trends. The study, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, states that warming and air dryness have surged in nearly every major agricultural region. In the EU and China, observed increases in air dryness were far greater than projections had indicated, wheras US farms, especially in the Midwest, experienced far less warming and drying than expected.

Business highlights

Tyson Foods said it is proactively reformulating food products containing petroleum-based synthetic colors and plans to finish work to eliminate them from its production process by the end of this month. Most of the company’s retail-branded meat products do not contain such dyes, according to CEO Donnie King. This comes amid US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the FDA’s plans to remove synthetic food dyes from the country’s food supply.

US-based Verinomics partnered with Pinnacle Seed, which supplies leafy green vegetables, to develop next-generation leafy green varieties with enhanced disease resistance, improved yield, and superior agronomic profiles to address critical challenges facing growers and the entire supply chain. The move aims to combine genetics with breeding and gene editing technologies to commercially launch initial disease-resistant varieties next year.

The European unio announced its Taste the Difference campaign, which will be held in Chicago and New York City from May 19 to 22. The event aims to increase the competitiveness of high-quality European wines from Italy and Spain and raise awareness and enhance perceived quality among trade and media professionals. The program will feature tastings, expert-led masterclasses, and trade experiences that highlight the diversity of European wines.