It tackled a number of global issues, including feeding a growing population, the rising power of women, the shape of the economy and water sustainability.
After a two-hour drive from Zurich airport, ending with a glorious route past waterfalls and lakes, we arrived at the splendid Victoria-Jungfrau Grand Hotel & Spa with a clear view of the snow-capped Jungfrau mountain.
See more images from the DSM Event.
Around 185 guests had trialled flavoured drinks at lunchtime, in premix stick form from 10 variants of personalised nutrition, including ‘defy your age’, ‘essentials for life’ and ‘strengthen your bones’, to name just three.
I arrived just in time to change for dinner in the sumptuous Salle de Versailles ballroom. This is not an event DSM runs every year – the last such global conference was in 2002, although there are annual social get-togethers.
Visitors from China, Korea, Brazil, Ecuador – in fact 35 countries in all – were welcomed next morning by DSM CEO Leendert Staal.
“Nutrition is still in its infancy,” he explained, noting our responsibility to ‘Nourish, Protect and Improve’ the diet of both humans and animals. Memory, vision, learning ability, energy, drive, healthy ageing, skin health, protection and nourishment are all things we can now impact, he added.
“We need to be aware of our footprint on the climate and we question our long-term sustainability;” he said. “We will need to produce 50% more than we do now to feed everyone by 2020.
“Our purpose is to create brighter lives for people today and for generations to come – this is a long-term responsibility.”
How do we effectively provide for an ever-increasing population and how do we solve the problems of over-consumption in some parts of the globe?
The first speaker, Kjell Nordström, associate professor from Stockholm School of Economics, talked about tackling the pile of things to do on your desk. “Later does not happen,” he noted, then making a myriad of accurate observations:
“What are young men doing,” he asked, “playing World of Warcraft?”
The second speaker was Nouriel Roubini, professor of economics with NYU’s Stern School of business. He discussed whether we are in a U, V or W shaped recession.
“Slower economic growth in the US and Eurozone will impact even on the rapidly recovering emerging markets of India, Brazil and China,” he said.
He warned of over-investment in infrastructure here: too much too fast leads to empty airports and empty roads.
The most important thing is innovation, whether it’s for a greener economy or a new drink. In global economic issues, we have to find the mechanism to improve the coordination between countries.
Over lunch, I learned of a new drink for breastfeeding mothers called ‘Purita Mama’, which contains omega-3 to improve the cognitive ability of children from when they are in the womb. This is being handed out free of charge through a government programme in Chile.
In the afternoon, Alexandre de Barros, managing partner of MB Agro, covered the biofuel issue and how several hedge funds are now buying crops as ‘soft commodities’.
Following geographic population rise and fall, he questioned whether the decrease in consumption of iron, oil and food in the US will balance with increased consumption in China. He also spoke of an emerging middle class in emerging countries and the major challenges being protectionism, volatile exchange rates, instability due to weather fluctuations and environmental concerns.
The final speaker on Monday was Alexandra Coustea – granddaughter of Jacques-Yves Cousteau, who has taken up the baton in defence of all things involving water, lakes and rivers – saying how seeing them as silos is damaging and we must learn to look up and down river if we are to preserve our planet.
We saw film of the dead zones in the Gulf of Mexico, where nitrates and fertiliser run-off has caused a complete lack of oxygen and sea life on the sea bed.
“By 2025, two thirds of the world will suffer water shortages,” she said. “It will no longer be the problem of ‘the poor people out there’, but that of your children and mine. We are waking up to the fact that we are all environmentalists and for this community every decision we make will have an effect on their future. Chemical fertilisers are the number one ‘no-no’.
“My belief is that we can all come to the table – scientists and business communities – to protect our water resources.
“The Coca-Cola Company is making huge strides in achieving water neutrality and watershed restoration, while Wal-Mart is investing in sustainable seafood and shifting the whole market towards sustainability.”
People would be more careful if they had to pay the true value of their water, she warned.
After the presentations (under the watchful eye of moderator Sara Coburn, freelance journalist for the BBC) were over, I interviewed DSM head of global marketing for human nutrition and health, Gareth Barker. He spoke of the 12 benefit platforms that DSM offers its clients for food and beverage innovation, including joint and bone health, cognitive, heart and eye health and for many times in life including pregnancy and menopause.
Vitamin D is now the hot topic in Brussels, with recognition of its value to so many of the population now receiving insufficient sunlight due to suncreams and clothing, and poor climate.
Beauty from within is among the newer sectors of development with skin defence and benefits for hair and nails from biotin. Also drinks to protect men’s health, containing lycopene and those containing lutein enabling better eye health including a decrease in macular degeneration and an ability to differentiate objects more easily in the dusk which could impact drivers.
The day was not over and we enjoyed a steamboat-style cruise along the picturesque Lake Thun, with a buffet dinner and jazz band accompaniment amid stimulating conversations with visitors from France, Korea, Tai Wan, the US, Germany, the Netherlands, Mexico and Brazil.
Still writing, and it’s 1.05am – time to turn in!
Claire Phoenix is managing editor of Beverage Innovation magazine. Subscribe here.](magazine/beverage-innovation-1)
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