Europe’s Lantmännen and Yara to launch fossil-free food chain

Two European firms, Lantmännen and Yara, have agreed to launch a pilot project for the world’s first certified fossil-free food chain.

The project is expected to help customers to minimise their climate impact by opting for low-carbon food choices.

Owned by 25,000 Swedish farmers, Lantmännen is an agricultural cooperative and is involved in agriculture, machinery, bioenergy and food products.

It offers products under various brands, including AXA, Bonjour, Kungsörnen, GoGreen, Gooh, FINN CRISP, Schulstad and Vaasan.

Lantmännen Group president and CEO Per Olof Nyman said: “Lantmännen has been working systematically for a long time to develop sustainable solutions in many areas, not least when it comes to cultivation methods and concepts.

“Nordic farmers are leaders in sustainability, with a low climate impact by international standards even today. With this partnership, which is one of our most important initiatives yet, we take further steps towards a fossil-free food chain and even more sustainable farming.”

According to the company, crop nutrition plays a crucial role in the transition to climate-friendly food production.

The new partnership builds on Yara’s plans to pilot the production of mineral fertiliser with renewable energy to decrease the carbon footprint of Lantmännen’s end-products.

Yara claims that its fertilisers will have the capacity to reduce the carbon impact of grain farming by 20%. It aims to launch its fertilisers market by 2022.

Yara Group president and CEO Svein Tore Holsether said: “This partnership is a first step towards achieving the transformation of our food system. The pilot with Lantmännen will bring together the food chain partners in a joint effort to reduce the carbon footprint of food production.

“We must look at new business models that span the entire food value chain, from field to fork. A fossil free food chain is only possible with mineral fertilizers produced with renewable energy.”

Lantmännen and Yara are also encouraging other companies throughout the value chain to contribute.