Nutrition groups honours DSM’s China outfit for promoting science

22-May-2013 - Last updated on 23-May-2013 at 12:44 GMT

The Chinese Nutritional Society has awarded the China operation of food science major DSM its first ever Nutrition Innovation Gold Award.

The award came as recognition of DSM China’s research work and the support the company has offered to the academic community there, according to CNS president Cheng Yiyong, at the presentation.

"We are actively promoting research and innovation in the field of nutrition science, and we are committed to continuously improving people’s nutrition and health standards through working together with more enterprises in the future,” said Cheng.

Spirit of science

He said the CNS’s Nutrition Innovation Award serves to promote the spirit of science in economic development. It also seeks to combine academic research and industrial development for innovation.

This award was presented during the eleventh CNS National Conference to inspire more corporations to make greater contributions in the research and development of nutrition and health products in China.

“By working with industry experts, academics and government organisations, we will continue to enhance our efforts in nutrition innovation and public health improvement to create brighter lives for people today and generations to come,” said DSM China president Jiang Weiming on receiving the award.

DSM has been actively involved in promoting nutritional research and networking in the Chinese academic community since the 1990s, supporting conferences and sponsoring a number of nutritional studies.

DSM also actively cooperates with various government and non-governmental organisations to provide nutrition solutions for specific population, like the Infant Anemia Elimination programme, for which DSM provided nutrition sachets as a supplement for infants living in poor rural areas.

"We are expecting to meet the growing needs of our local customers and accelerate the development of the Chinese nutrition industry through our products and solutions,” said Leo Xie, vice-president DSM Nutritional Products in China.

Decent month

The award caps a successful May for the company, following its earlier success in acquiring a 19% stake in Shandong Province’s Yantai Andre Pectin, which produces texturing ingredients for food and health supplements. It also has the option to increase to a majority stake at a later stage.

With revenues of US$1.7bn last year, DSM China is growing steadily and currently has 40 affiliates in the country, including 26 manufacturing sites, and it employs about 3,500 people. Its regional headquarters and China Science and Technology Centre are located in Shanghai.