ITALY – Danone, owner of iconic brands such as Dumex and Aptamil has agreed to work together with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to improve global nutrition and food safety knowledge.
Danone and FAO have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at scaling up sustainable food and agricultural practices and provide people with access to more diverse and healthier foods.
The partnership will help advance efforts to reach Sustainable Development Goal 2-Zero Hunger through sharing data and knowledge on this, specifically on nutrition, food safety and responsible investments in agriculture.
“This agreement will help advance global efforts to improve nutrition and food safety, and make food systems more sustainable,” said FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu at the signing of the agreement.
Emmanuel Faber, Chairman and chief executive of Danone, said: “I am pleased to strengthen the ties between Danone and FAO by this agreement, and to work together towards regenerative agriculture practices and eating habits –in line with our ‘One Planet. One Health’ vision.
“FAO holds a hugely critical agenda for our common future and it is core to Danone’s goals to contribute to a collective effort in creating climate-resilient and future-proof food systems.”
The MoU between FAO and Danone is based on four pillars including exchanging information on emerging food safety issues such as new trends and drivers.
Starting with Egypt as a pilot country, Danone and FAO will also share data on food consumption and nutrient intakes to improve knowledge and foster the adoption of healthier eating habits.
As part of the agreement, the two will also exchange knowledge related to food systems and nutrition security through the provision by the FAO of its e-learning courses and digital certification to Danone employees.
The UN agency and the global food and beverage company have also agreed to promote compliance with the Sustainable Development Goals and responsible business conduct in global agricultural supply chains.
FAO and Danone are also committing to work together to promote the conservation, sustainable use, management and restoration of biodiversity for food and agriculture.
This will include: promoting sustainable production systems that integrate biodiversity considerations throughout value chains, as well as the restoration of landscapes to protect biodiversity present in and around production systems.
