Sustainably feeding an ever-growing world population is a challenge that no single organisation could or should face alone; instead, success can only come from committed collaborations that span the entire value chain, Nutreco CEO Fulco van Lede told AquaVision 2022.
Welcoming delegates to this year’s 14th edition of the global aquaculture business conference, Van Lede insisted that transparency, trust, and accountability are essential requirements from all stakeholders and also that the value chain is far stronger when it’s united in its actions.
“Our story has to be about collaboration, and about showing that if we want to drive transformational changes for our industry, we must work closer together as suppliers, feed producers, farming companies, NGOs, certification bodies, and all the other relevant stakeholders within the value chain.”
While he acknowledged that the “blue food” supply growth rates that the aquaculture industry continues to achieve merits its plaudits, Van Lede added that a lot more ground needs to be covered if it is to reach its full potential as a principal contributor to global food security.
“We know that we have not done enough and that we must do more – better and faster,” he said.
To sustainably feed 10 billion people by 2050, we need to produce 60% more food while reducing the climate impact by 75%.
In this regard, he explained that Nutreco’s continued response is to invest in innovation and sustainability, with Skretting Aquaculture Innovation, for example, allocating more than EUR 20 million annually to create innovative solutions in such fields as high-performance diets, young animal feed and preventative, while the newly-created Nutreco Exploration will seek to develop unique additives – exploring new opportunities in phytogenics and biotechnology.
At the same time, the new Nutreco Sustainability Roadmap 2025 has set out the company’s clear directions and also defines an ambitious set of goals to address issues relating to health and welfare, climate and circularity, and good citizenship.
“At Nutreco, we are passionate about Feeding the Future – it lies at the heart of everything we do, helping us to feed a growing population, and to do that sustainably. But never has our purpose been more meaningful. To sustainably feed 10 billion people by 2050, we need to produce 60% more food while reducing the climate impact by 75%. This is a tremendous challenge for humanity, which requires decisive action, starting now,” Van Lede said.