Global wheat production is expected to drop by a third over the next 30 years due to the impact of climate change. That means global grain producers must increase production by 70% if they are to satisfy the demand of the world’s growing population. But, with too little land available for cultivation, they face an impossible task.

Therefore, innovative minds at the Danish manufacturer of solutions for grain processing, handling and storage, Cimbria has turned it’s attention to reducing the volumes of grain that go to waste post-harvest.

Take Egypt for example – a high grain-consuming country that produces 23 million tons of grain every year and imports around 17 million tons, making it one of the world’s biggest grain importers. Previously 20 – 30 % of Egyptian grain was lost in storage.

Keeping grain safe in silos

Cimbria has developed enclosed silos that effectively reduce grain loss. The silos are specially designed to maintain the quality of the grain by temperature and moisture control. In addition, the silos are equipped to protect against insects and remove impurities such as weed seeds. An inventory management system, which monitors all grain movements, provides further security against theft.

saves up to 400,000 tons of grain from going to waste in Egypt every year – enough grain to meet the needs of 1.6 million Egyptians

400,000 tons saved in Egypt alone

Today, Cimbria’s silos saves up to 400,000 tons of grain from going to waste in Egypt every year – enough grain to meet the needs of 1.6 million Egyptians. And that is just Egypt. All over the world, Cimbria silos are helping to reduce post-harvest grain losses, so more grain can find its way to the food and feed sector.

Consumer confusion about the ‘best before’ date on food products is a major cause of food waste in Europe. In Denmark alone, consumers are responsible for more than half of the 814,000 tons of food that are thrown out every year. Quite often, the food they put in the bin is still safe and good to eat.

Danish company Too Good To Go decided to take up the battle against food waste. By working with leading food and beverage manufacturers, the goal was to change the way dates are labelled so consumers are in no doubt about whether food is safe to eat or not.

Two labels, different meanings

Manufacturers currently use two types of date label in Denmark. The ‘best before’ label is applied to foods that worsen in quality and become unfit for consumption long before they pose a health risk. In other words, the ‘best before’ date simply indicates the food’s minimum durability. But, if the taste, smell and look are fine, the food can easily be eaten after that date.

The ‘last date of usage’ label is used on foods that may pose a risk to human health if eaten beyond their shelf life. This means consumers must respect the date as the absolute end of shelf life. Beyond that, a product may be unsafe to eat even though its quality has yet to worsen.

Around a third of Danish consumers believe these two labels are identical – resulting in unnecessary food waste. In Europe, more than half of consumers do not know what ‘best before’ means.

70% of respondents say they will throw less food away because of new label saying ‘often good after’

Best before, often good after

Thanks to the Too Good To Go initiative, Arla Foods, Thise, Carlsberg, Unilever, Orkla Foods Denmark and many others have changed the date label on a wide range of products from ‘best before’ to ‘best before, often good after’. The idea is to help consumers think twice and trust their own senses before they throw food away.

According to the results from a survey, the campaign has made a difference. Almost 70% of respondents said they will throw less food away because they now know it may still be edible after the ‘best before’ date.

High raw material waste is a long-standing problem in the manufacture of strained dairy products such as Greek yoghurt and cream cheese. As these products have grown in popularity, the issue has reached new heights, with implications for the environment as well as manufacturer profits.

The challenge lies in the high-volume waste stream – acid whey – which accounts for around two-thirds of the milk that goes in at the beginning of the strained dairy process.

Added-value upgrade

Today, manufacturers have the opportunity to upgrade acid whey to an added-value raw material. And all with the help of another ingredient which, just a few decades ago, was regarded as a waste product itself: whey protein extracted from the whey by-product of cheese production.

Whey used to be seen as waste but Today, it is a valuable resource in the production of nutritional and functional food

Until the 1980s, whey was either spread on fields as a fertiliser, turned into livestock feed or disposed of by other means. That was when Danish scientists discovered whey’s potential as an efficient and natural source of protein. Arla Foods Ingredients and a promising new industry was born.

A powerhouse of benefits

Whey is now known to be a nutritional and functional powerhouse of benefit to consumers right from infancy to old age. Arla Foods Ingredients uses every protein and all other components in whey to help food manufacturers produce more natural, functional and sustainable foods.

That includes the Greek yoghurt manufacturers who can now make 100% use of the milk that goes into their production. Thanks to whey proteins, their acid whey side-stream has become an ideal, calcium-rich base for beverages, dips, desserts and processed cheese.

A consortium of Danish universities and companies are behind a new open innovation food and health lab, which is to rethink food production and consumption and develop new systems for a more sustainable food supply with much less waste.

Called FOODHAY, the 13.8 million Euro research centre is jointly funded by the Danish Education and Research Ministry and the consortium partners – Aarhus University, Copenhagen University, Danish Technology University, Arla Foods and Danish Technological Institute.

From raw material to consumer

The whole food value chain is in focus: to deliver new knowledge and solutions for utilising the side streams of food production; develop processes that increase the nutritional value of foods; identify new, healthier ingredients; create more sustainable packaging solutions, reduce food waste during distribution and consumption; and ensure food products match consumer needs and preferences.

FOODHAY will lead the way in delivering healthier foods and increasing the sustainability of our food systems

In the years ahead, the FOODHAY partners will support research initiatives with a direct impact on Denmark’s ability to deliver new knowledge, technology and food and ingredient solutions to the global consumer.

The ultimate goal is to facilitate the production of innovative, healthy and more sustainable foods. Strengthening business, creating more value for consumers and reducing the negative impact of today’s food systems on the climate.

Around the world, invasive species are a growing threat, with adverse consequences for biodiversity, health and local economies. About 12 trillion invasive crabs are creating havoc off the coast of Denmark, threatening to outcompete native fish species and damaging the fishermen’s catch. Apart from ruining fishing nets with their sharp claws, they damage riverbanks by burrowing into them, lakes and reservoirs and alter the natural habitat of native wildlife.

Now the Danish company Fejø Krabber has laid a plan to tackle the challenge by turning a challenging pest into a 100% useful resource.

Invasive species are a growing challenge. by working together, companies and universities can turn them into a valuable resource

A rich protein source

Fejø Krabber has partnered with Danish universities to find ways to turn the crabs into value. One promising idea focuses on using crab protein and other nutrients to improve the diets of elderly people with a small appetite. At an innovation competition hosted by the Technical University of Denmark, a team developed a recipe for a tasty crab bisque. They also proposed to turn the crab by-products into flour for use in snacks or pet food.

Better marine environment

The crabs are not just a good source of nutrition. Every time a fisherman pulls a ton of crabs out of the water, they remove about 16 kilos of phosphorus and nitrogen – a cause of oxygen depletion. This opportunity to improve the marine environment makes Fejø Krabber even more determined to succeed with its mission: to convert invasive crabs into business.

Air traffic is expected to double by 2050 due to the growing middle class. As air traffic is one of the biggest contributors to CO2 emissions, the race is now on to find green alternatives to today’s aviation fuel.

Danish biogas company Nature Energy has taken up the challenge in collaboration with NISA, Nordic Initiative for Sustainable Aviation, the consulting engineering company NIRAS and researchers from the University of Southern Denmark (SDU). Their aim is to make sustainable aviation fuel made from biogas, CO2 and hydrogen. Food waste is a key ingredient.

Giving food waste a new life

Nature Energy already produces biogas at 13 plants in Denmark and one abroad. The plants have so far treated more than 4.7 million tonnes of biomass. Several of the plants are selling the gas as fuel for trucks and buses. In addition, Nature Energy invests heavily in research, some of it, at its own laboratory in Odense.

The biogas produced by Nature Energy is entirely green which can make it possible to fly on sustainable aviation fuel in the future

In Denmark, biogas comes from manure and food waste – e.g. coffee grounds, potato peels and chicken wings. Once produced, the gas is fed into the gas network, where it is used for household heating or by industry. The residual degassed slurry then goes to farmers, who uses it to fertilise their fields.

Promising progress

Since the aviation fuel project kicked off in April 2019, the pre-feasibility study has shown promising results. The project is supported by Scandinavian Airlines (SAS), Copenhagen Airports, ARC Amager Resource Centre, Nordic Energy Research, Dansk Luftfart and Danish Energy.

The Danish company Hanegal, which produces organic meat products, is to become one of the global pioneers in creating organic, plant-based alternatives free from unwanted additives and flavor enhancers. By 2030, Hanegal has a vision that 30% of their production should be plant-based.

Most of the plant-based products on the market today are not organic and often contains large quantities of additives and flavor enhancers. Although they contribute to a greener and smaller climate footprint, people are also increasingly demanding clean and natural food products.

Plant-based products without unwanted additives

Organic and sustainability are focal points for Hanegal’s business and with a new decision that 30% of Hanegal’s production will be plant-based by 2030, Hanegal is committed to ensure that organic also plays a central role in the plant-based product range.

With their 2030 vision, Hanegal is committed to ensure that organic also plays a key role in the plant-based product range

Hanegal is therefore in the process of developing new attractive organic, plant-based products that make it easy to replace the meat-based products with plant-based, which can help push for the needed transition to a more plant-based diet.

A change in food habits is an important tool in the fight to ensure a sustainable world. Therefore, a key area for their product development is to develop products of the same high standard for quality and taste as Hanegal’s already existing product range. This for example includes a plant-based paté as an alternative to one of the Danes favorite cold cuts – the liver paté.

Symbolising the Danish culture of innovation

This is just one example of how Danish food companies contribute to rethink our food production in a more sustainable manner. Hanegal is on schedule to have 30% of its business based on plant-based alternatives by 2030 and therefore meets the growing demand for high quality foods with a low-climate footprint.

The Danish company Mill & Mortar has produced a spice blend to substitute table salt. The blend is a 100% organic natural flavour enhancer and contains less salt without compromising on taste.

Most consumers love salt, but it is not in health’s best interests. On average people consumes around twice the recommended maximum level of intake according to WHO. It is estimated that 2.5 million deaths could be prevented each year if the global salt consumption were reduced to the recommended level.

Mill & Mortar has decided to join the fight for high quality spice blends without salt, gluten and other additives. “Salt of Hearts” being one of them.

Using a blend as a salt substitute

The product “Salt of Hearts” is a 100% natural and organic product developed in close collaboration with a Danish chef working with neurogastronomy. “Salt of hearts” is a spice blend but is to be used as table salt. The blend is based on the idea of reducing salt intake without compromising on taste.

Salt of Hearts is a 100% natural and organic product containing only 15% plain salt

The innovative idea behind “Salt of Hearts” is that it only contains 15% plain salt and it is the taste composition with refined taste of sumac, roasted sesame seeds, coriander, sugar, seaweed, dried mushrooms and a bit of crushed peppercorns that makes it is a natural flavour-enhancer that highlights the salt.

Prize-winning spice blends with less salt

Since the launch of “Salt of Hearts” in 2017, Mill & Mortar has won several awards for the product’s high quality, e.g. “Organic Gold Awards 2018” in Denmark that focuses on the tastiest and most innovative organic products introduced to the market in the previous year.

Mill & Mortar began their journey on renewing the way we look at spices in 2008. At that time, microbrews and craft ales, high-quality chocolate and exotic and expensive salts was on the rise – but yet spices remained an unchanged territory. The product symbolizes the Danish approach and how companies of all sizes help create innovative products that also have health benefits.

By using Mill & Mortar’s spice blends, consumers can reduce their salt intake by reducing the “hidden salt” which is found, for example, in many ordinary spice blends.

In 2022, more than 1 billion adults, 18 years and older, were obese, and 43% of all adults were overweight. Besides that, obesity among children and adolescents have quadrupled since 1990. Danish bio-science company Novonesis has produced a product that decreases added sugars in fermented dairy products to decrease global obesity.

Globally, sugar reduction is a very relevant area of action where the food industry can contribute positively through partnerships, research and innovation. Health organisations and governments are setting objectives to reduce sugar in foods, while retailers are pledging their commitment to reducing sugar in products in their stores. Consumers are increasingly focusing on sugar content, while looking for natural products that taste great. This leaves dairy manufacturers with the challenge of reducing the amount of added sugar, especially in yogurt, without compromising on quality.

Novonesis might have part of the solution. Their new Sweety® Y-1 is an innovative culture solution allowing the natural creation of sweetness by unlocking milk’s own resource – lactose. Sweety® Y-1 is a culture solution using Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus bulgaricus cultures.

With Sweety Y-1 you can add less sugar and still get the same sweet-tasting product, resulting in a healthier product offering

The culture, which won the Food Ingredients Europe Innovation Award 2019 in the Reformulation Innovation category, works by converting the naturally occurring sugars in milk, using more of the lactose and leaving glucose – which provides a greater sweetness intensity. This means you can add less sugar and still get the same sweet-tasting product, resulting in a healthier product offering.

In today’s market for fermented dairy products, the pressure is on dairy manufacturers to reduce added sugar, especially in yogurt. The new culture solution Sweety® Y-1 enables the development of natural and clean label products without the use of artificial sweeteners. Thus, Novonesis is offering a more healthy alternative to the often calorie-heavy overly sweetened yogurts.

The Sweety solution can therefore take the dairy industry forward by helping to reduce the added sugar while maintaining the sweet taste in a natural way.

The Danish food cluster is strong within food innovation and today companies are increasingly working together to develop the range of products available to consumers.

In 1895, the Danish cooperative DANÆG was founded based on the fundamental idea that together the Danish egg producers would stand stronger. Today 125 years later, the notion of collaboration in the Danish food cluster is still strongly embedded in the DNA of DANÆG. That’s why when the firm’s R&D department began developing organic mayonnaises, there was no doubt that the Danish seaweed startup company Nordisk Tang (Nordic Seaweed) was getting on board for the journey.

Harvesting the best from two worlds

Although eggs and seaweed seem like an odd couple, DANÆG and the family-run startup Nordisk Tang are united in a shared mission to bring sustainable foods to the world.

As a result, DANÆG’s three mayonnaises are made with 18% organic, Danish egg yolks stirred with nutritious and sustainable seaweed harvested along the Danish and Norwegian coasts. Seaweed has a beneficial effect on the marine environment, while also containing minerals, amino acids, dietary fiber and various vitamins. The high content of egg yolks provides the mayonnaises with a full-fat consistency, that is perfectly balanced by the fresh and salty seaweed.

To solve some of the world’s most complex and pressing problems, strong partnerships are needed

DANÆG’s classic mayonnaise is stirred with a pinch of mustard containing the beautiful, amber golden sugar seaweed. The chili/garlic mayo is seasoned with the edible red algae ‘Søl’. The most flavorful of the mayonnaises is mixed with dried flakes of the unique algae truffle, similar to the taste of the exclusive truffle mushroom.

Collaboration as the foundation for innovation

The executive board at DANÆG is convinced that to solve some of the world’s most complex and pressing problems, amongst others food safety and sustainability in the food chain, strong partnerships are needed. Consequently, DANÆG and Nordisk Tang have only just launched their first product line and will continue the united product innovation.

DANÆG aims at initiating more strategic partnerships with innovative, local companies from the Danish food cluster over the next few years. The product line stands as a testament to the collaborating culture of Danish food companies.