Nestle Is Stepping Up Its Agricultural Technologies

The Nestle Institute of Agricultural Sciences will be established in Lausanne and will emphasis on plant science, dairy livestock, and agricultural systems science. The institute will collaborate with academic institutions, research organisations, startups, industrial partners, and farmers to evaluate and build science-based solutions that may be implemented and scaled throughout Nestle's supply chain. 

"Agricultural science and new agricultural technologies are enabling our transition to a regenerative food system," stated Stefan Palzer, PhD, chief technology officer for Nestle in Vevey, Switzerland. "The new institute will help farmers around the world improve their environmental footprint, reduce food and nutrient losses, and better adapt to climate change while ensuring the quality of the raw materials they produce by accelerating the translation of science into concrete solutions that can be implemented at the farm level." 

Nestle invests 1.7 billion Swiss francs ($184 million) in research and development each year, which has helped the business establish sustainable cocoa and coffee sourcing plants as well as identify the best pulses and grains for low-carbon, plant-based meat, seafood, and dairy substitutes. 

The institution will also engage with external partners to expedite efforts to cut emissions in dairy farming, create regenerative agricultural practices, and investigate novel techniques to upcycling agricultural waste to reduce nutrient loss and food waste. 

About Nestle S.A. 

Nestlé S.A., based in Vevey, Vaud, Switzerland, is a worldwide food and beverage industry firm. Since 2014, it has become the world's largest food company in terms of sales and other criteria. It was placed No. 64 on the Fortune Global 500 in 2017 and No. 33 on the Forbes Global 2000 list of the world's largest public corporations in 2016. 

Baby food, medical food, bottled water, breakfast cereals, coffee and tea, confectionery, dairy goods, ice cream, frozen food, pet meals, and snacks are among Nestle's offerings. Nespresso, Nescafé, Kit Kat, Smarties, Nesquik, Stouffer's, Vittel, and Maggi are among Nestlé's 29 brands with annual sales of around US$1.1 billion. Nestlé employs roughly 339,000 people and has 447 plants in 189 countries. L'Oreal, the world's largest cosmetics corporation, has it as one of its major owners.