On November 6th, the 16th Belt and Road Eco-Agriculture and Food Safety Forum was successfully held in Shanghai as a concurrent event of the 6th China International Import Expo. The forum was hosted by the State Administration for Market Regulation and co-organized by the Shanghai Municipal Administration for Market Regulation, the Development Research Center of the State Administration for Market Regulation, and the Secretariat of the Belt and Road Eco-Agriculture and Food Safety Forum. Peng Ming, President of North Asia and Australia of Cargill Food Solutions, attended the opening ceremony of the forum and delivered a speech.
Xue Huayun, President of North Asia and Australia of Cargill Food Solutions, delivered a speech
The high-quality development of the food industry plays a pivotal role in enhancing the efficiency of the food sector, boosting the competitiveness of food enterprises, and fostering high-quality economic growth. For Cargill, the crux of high-quality development in the food industry lies in what?
From the perspective of new development concepts, innovation occupies the forefront, focusing on addressing the issues of development momentum. From a corporate standpoint, Cargill, as an agri-food enterprise with a 158-year history of growth, has witnessed the indispensable role of innovation in the development of a business.
Hence, we view innovation as the key driving force behind the high-quality development of the food industry. Specifically, this includes continuously improving operational efficiency through automation and digitization of the production process, thereby ensuring product quality, and enhancing production efficiency.
At Cargill, we are gradually implementing a future factory initiative on a global scale, investing in cutting-edge technologies such as automation, digitalization, and analytical tools to boost factory operational efficiency, create a safer working environment for our employees, and consistently provide reliable and high-quality products to our customers.
Moreover, we are applying some of the latest innovative technologies at the forefront of the food supply chain to help our clients improve production efficiency. The Galleon, a recipient of the ‘2023 Edison Award’ gold medal, is a case in point. Galleon, an innovative analytical tool powered by artificial intelligence technology, aids poultry farmers in monitoring the intestinal microbial health of their poultry, thus enhancing the operational efficiency of poultry farming.
Secondly, innovation can unleash endless possibilities for healthy consumption. With China’s reform and opening up and rapid economic development, Chinese consumers have increasingly higher demands for food. Consumers seek not only more innovative products that meet their individual needs but also impose higher standards on the healthiness of food.
Among various food innovation directions, sugar reduction has gradually become a focal point for both the market and consumers. An increasing number of consumers recognize the health risks associated with high sugar intake and are pursuing low-sugar, reduced-sugar, or sugar-free foods, beverages, and lifestyles. Sugar reduction is not merely about removing or substituting sucrose; it's a complex science that involves maintaining the taste of ‘sucrose’ without altering the product’s texture. These changes are closely related to consumer experiences, determining whether consumers will like and continue purchasing the products.
In the field of sugar reduction innovation, Cargill has collaborated with over 20 universities and research institutions worldwide to conduct more than 30 scientific studies. These include over 300,000 hours of scientific research on steviol glycosides. Beyond basic testing, production, and extraction process optimization for different types of steviol glycosides, Cargill's scientists are also exploring the application of microbial and biosynthetic methods in the production of steviol glycosides, conducting clinical studies on the physiological effects and neurobiology of steviol glycosides after digestion and absorption. We have brought these technological innovations and research findings to the Chinese market, offering customized scientific sugar-reduction solutions to our clients and consumers.
In summary, we believe innovation is the key driver for the high-quality development of the food industry.
Regarding green development, which is one of the new development concepts and focuses on addressing the harmony between humans and nature, how does Cargill view the relationship between green development and the high-quality development of the food industry?
The food industry is highly dependent on agriculture and natural resources, making green development the foundation for the high-quality development of the food industry, as well as the essential path to ensuring food safety and safeguarding consumer health.
In recent years, consumers worldwide, including those in China, have increasingly focused on corporate efforts in green development and sustainability.
Cargill’s mission is ‘to nourish the world in a safe, responsible, and sustainable way.’
At Cargill, food safety is one of our key concerns. Through Cargill’s unified global food safety system and the innovative application of food traceability systems, intelligent manufacturing, and big data analysis, Cargill can better manage and track the food supply chain, enhancing the transparency of the food supply chain, thereby ensuring food safety and protecting the health and safety of consumers.
In June of this year, Cargill’s newly invested and constructed flavor syrup innovation production base in Pinghu, Zhejiang, officially started operations. The new base uses technologies such as ultra-clean filling, infrared thermography, and visual inspection to ensure products meet high-quality standards. Moreover, the digital traceability system invested in by the new base supports scanning the QR code on the product cap to achieve full-process traceability of product production, testing, quality, and transportation information, effectively supporting the systematic improvement of customer supply chain and quality management.
Furthermore, Cargill is committed to the green and sustainable development of the food and agricultural supply chain. Cargill’s sustainability initiatives focus on three aspects: land, water, and people. Globally, we have launched numerous sustainability projects in collaboration with governments, institutions, farmers, clients, and partners, such as the Beef Up project in North America aimed at reducing carbon emissions in the beef supply chain and the Sea Further project launched in the global aquaculture industry to reduce carbon emissions from aquaculture. Through these projects, we, together with various stakeholders, are working to reduce the environmental impact of the food and agriculture supply chain, lower carbon emissions, and protect the Earth’s ecosystem.
We are also introducing our global sustainability experiences to China, actively promoting sustainable development in the country. In Jilin, we have collaborated with a globally renowned beverage enterprise customer on a sustainable agriculture project that has been ongoing for 11 years.
In 2021, we launched an agricultural risk comprehensive management pilot project with the United Nations World Food Programme, which includes implementing water and fertilizer integration reforms to support the sustainable development of corn cultivation in Jilin.
In July of this year, Cargill and the Economic Research Center of the Ministry of Agriculture officially launched a one-year pilot project on conservation tillage and regenerative agriculture. The project’s research area is primarily in Jilin Province, covering at least 10,000 acres of corn cultivation and observing 100 corn farming households. The project’s key assessment checklist includes increasing crop diversity, maintaining soil coverage, reducing, or eliminating tillage, and integrating livestock.
This year, Cargill completed an ESG deposit transaction worth 350 million RMB in euros with a major state-owned bank in China, aimed at promoting the development of green industries and achieving China’s sustainability goals. This was Cargill’s first ESG deposit transaction in China, and we plan to collaborate with more Chinese financial institutions, expecting to complete an ESG deposit scale of about 3 billion RMB by 2023.
Recently, Cargill’s world’s first wind-winged cargo ship set sail from China to Brazil. The cargo ship, equipped with wind wings that incorporate world-class yacht racing design and technology, is expected to reduce carbon emissions by 30% compared to using traditional fuels.
Additionally, Cargill China is actively developing and utilizing renewable energy sources, such as solar, wind, and biomass energy.
In the future, we hope to work with more partners to find effective green development mechanisms, support the high-quality and sustainable development of China’s food industry, and contribute Cargill's strength to China's green development.
The theme of the forum is, ‘Deepening the Belt and Road Cooperation in Agriculture and Food: Jointly Creating a Better Life for Humanity.’ Leaders from the State Administration for Market Regulation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, National Health Commission, General Administration of Customs, as well as leaders from Shanghai, Henan, Hainan, and other provincial governments, representatives of provincial market supervision departments, representatives of relevant United Nations organizations, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and embassies of South Africa, the Netherlands, Colombia, Sri Lanka, Bulgaria, Tanzania, Senegal, among others, along with over 400 delegates from domestic and international enterprises, participated in the forum. Guests collectively deliberated on agricultural cooperation and food industry development, contributing insights and strategies for the high-quality development of agriculture and food industries in the Belt and Road Initiative, highlighting the role of the forum as a platform for policy interpretation.
2023 marks the 10th anniversary of the proposal of the Belt and Road Initiative and the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Eco-Agriculture and Food Safety Forum. Over the past decade, the forum has been successfully held for 15 sessions within the framework of the National Food Safety Publicity Week and the China International Import Expo. The forum has solidly promoted high-quality joint construction of the Belt and Road, extensively conducted exchanges and cooperation in the agricultural and food industries, played a significant role in the development and safety of agricultural food industries in the countries along the route, and facilitated smooth international trade among the Belt and Road countries.
