8.2 Propelling scientific progress into sustainable solutions

Nutreco Exploration, or NutEx, is a small business entity, created at the end of 2021, which develops novel and proprietary ultra- specialties and empowers the development of innovative functional feeds. Through what it produces, but also how it operates, NutEx is a major tool to help us tackle our purpose of Feeding the Future in a sustainable way.

First, NutEx’s investments into ultra-specialties (feed additives) that target animal performance, health and welfare is key to helping Nutreco achieve our purpose, because these products can enable customers produce more nutritious protein more sustainably. In the past, Nutreco pursued growth in this space by acquiring feed additive companies and investing in our own internal R&D, but we have found that this is not enough. We need to approach ultra-specialties in a more transformative way – looking for solutions to the unmet needs of farmers and establishing completely new avenues for business development.

NutEx serves as a creative engine feeding the innovation groups at Skretting, Selko and Trouw Nutrition. While these innovation groups remain focused on identifying customer needs and managing the life cycles of their product portfolios, NutEx explores two programs, phytotechnology and microtechnology, to discover novel ideas and develop them into exclusive ingredients to match the needs of Nutreco’s businesses.

NutEx's phytotechnology program harnesses the power of the plant kingdom for application in aquatic species and livestock. We develop Phyto- actives: plant metabolites which, when added to feed, display a specific molecular effect that is beneficial for animal performance, health, welfare.

NutEx's second program, microtechnology, complements what cannot be achieved with plants. Its ambition is to mine the gut microbiome for the critical functions it provides to the host. Through this work, we develop Biome-actives or gut bacterial functions which, when added to the feed, display beneficial effects on animal performance, health and welfare. In this way, our NutEx programs contribute to feeding the world in a sustainable way. Phyto-actives and biome- actives are natural solutions that help eliminate drugs and other antibiotics from the feed of aquatic species and livestock.

Second, the way NutEx operates in a collaborative way with parties across the value chain also contributes to solving our sustainability challenges. While science has made major progress over the last 15 years, its application into practical sustainability solutions remains scarce. The NutEx team believes that we need to change the way these solutions are ideated and created through greater cooperation, given the level of complexity in our feed industry environment today. Promoting partnership, collaboration, and cooperation upstream and downstream across the feed value chain is the key to true innovative solutions and for propelling scientific progress into real sustainability solutions.

In 2022, NutEx launched its phytotechnology and microtechnology programs, and built strong connections and interactivity with our businesses. They hired a diverse team of experts, in terms of gender, age and nationality, to drive these programs forward and set up a centre of excellence for microbiome technology in the U.S. In 2023, NutEx plans to open a centre for medicinal plant solutions in Switzerland, as part of its phytotechnology program. The NutEx team has already brought a portfolio of 20 products to market for our Skretting and Selko businesses.

Chapters:

8.1 How Nutreco's innovation teams support sustainability
8.2 Propelling scientific progress into sustainable solutions
8.3 Partnering to develop tomorrow's feed and food business