3.7 Engagement with regulators

The Government Relations & Regulatory Affairs team supports Nutreco businesses with market access and regulatory compliance, and plays a central role in realising Nutreco’s ambitions, policies and strategy. Important trends of relevance are the fast-changing regulatory environment all around the globe and the continuously growing number of novel, highly- regulated products and concepts developed by Nutreco’s innovation teams. Both have been experiencing challenges and opportunities.

A potential game-changer for the future regulatory landscape is the recent publication of the European Commission’s European Green Deal and its Farm-to-Fork Strategy. The first sets out how to make Europe the first climate neutral continent by the year 2050, while the latter comprehensively addresses the challenges of sustainable food systems and the solutions required. Collectively, the aim is to reduce the environmental and climate footprint of the EU food system and to strengthen its resilience, ensure food security in the face of climate change and biodiversity loss, and lead to a global transition towards competitive sustainability from farm- to-fork, while tapping into new opportunities.

To accelerate and facilitate this transition and to ensure that all foods placed on the EU market become increasingly sustainable, the Commission will introduce a new legislative framework before the end of 2023. From a regulatory perspective, this means an integration of sustainability requirements in the present food safety- oriented regulatory framework. At the same time, the application of new technologies and innovative feed solutions will become possible.

The present revision of the existing feed additive regulation, as part of the new strategy, demonstrates a dynamic approach by European authorities. The first draft proposals will become public this year.

The Government Relations & Regulatory Affairs team is heavily involved in the discussions with the Commission, both directly and through the European industry and trade associations. In close collaboration with the Nutreco innovation teams, new regulatory opportunities are also being created that will boost product innovation.

COVID-19 and Brexit have been other major focus areas. Nutreco participated in the European Feed Manufacturers Federation’s (FEFAC) task forces dealing with those topics. Joint efforts with other European trade and industry associations and the Commission, resulted in temporary regulatory measures, such as the so-called “green lanes” for logistics of food and feed across borders without major COVID restrictions.

Last but not least, the Government Relations & Regulatory Affairs team, together with global teams and local regulatory specialists, have been in close contact with regulators to ensure premarket registration of products globally sold. A portfolio consisting of around 1,000 product-country combinations is now maintained and this number is expected to double in the next few years because of the high output from the innovation teams and the new business activities in Asia, Africa and the Americas.

As many of the products are produced in western markets and sold in other parts of the world, registration files needto be compliant with a wide range of regulations in all jurisdictions involved. The latter requires specialists not only in the central team but also on location, working in a collaborative way.