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FAO, Danone to cooperate on global nutrition

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and Danone have agreed to work together to improve global nutrition and food safety knowledge, and promote responsible agricultural value chains for more sustainable food systems.

The UN agency and Danone say they have a shared understanding of the need to scale up sustainable food and agricultural practices, and to provide people with access to more diverse and healthier foods.

Sharing data and knowledge on this, specifically on nutrition, food safety and responsible investments in agriculture, will, it is said, help advance efforts to reach Sustainable Development Goal 2 - Zero Hunger.

"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 CEO 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 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between FAO and Danone is based on four pillars:



+ Exchange information on emerging food safety issues, including new trends and drivers;



+ Share data on food consumption and nutrient intakes to improve knowledge and foster the adoption of healthier eating habits, starting with Egypt as a pilot country;



+ 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;



+ Promote compliance with the Sustainable Development Goals and responsible business conduct in global agricultural supply chains.



To support the latter, FAO, in collaboration with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), gathers practical recommendations and good practices to help address gaps between corporate policy commitments and implementation actions.

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; and supporting the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021-2030.