Lantmännen Participates In New Centre Initiatives For Increased Preparedness And Competitiveness In The Food System

05 December 2024, Sweden: The Swedish Research Council Formas is investing SEK 300 million in five new centres focusing on increased preparedness and competitiveness in the food system. Lantmännen has been a co-applicant in and participates in two of these projects – AgroDrive at the Swedish Research Institute RISE, and FORCE at Lund University.

The purpose of Formas’ investment is for the new centres to strengthen the Swedish food system by focusing on a fossil-free Swedish food value chain, improved resilience through meal perspectives, a circular supply model without waste and how we can detect and deal with threats to food security.

“It is gratifying that there is such a great understanding of how sustainability and preparedness are linked to profitability and competitiveness. This creates good conditions for important projects with bearing on the food system’s important role in society, in peacetime as well as during crisis or war,” says Mikael Åstrand, Director Group R&D and Innovation, Lantmännen.

Within the AgroDrive centre, at the Swedish Research Institute RISE, work will be carried out with a focus on the transition to fossil-free energy usage within the agriculture sector and and food distribution. The ambition is to achieve a close to fossil-free Swedish food value chain by 2030 and completely fossil-free by 2050, which is directly linked to the agricultural and food sector’s own ambitious climate commitments.

“This type of investment is absolutely crucial for Swedish companies, not the least Lantmännen, to continue to be market leaders,” says Mikael Åstrand, Director Group R&D and Innovation, Lantmännen.

Within the FORCE centre, at Lund University, the focus is on increasing the resilience and competitiveness of the Swedish food industry in an international context. The initiative will include projects of both a theoretical and practical nature as well as ongoing policy work to develop Swedish food production and increase the system’s competitiveness and resilience. Within the framework of FORCE, Lantmännen will place a special focus on plant breeding and whole grain-related projects.

“Research on whole grains has since long shown a number of health benefits and the evidence is getting stronger. In addition, it is of great importance that we explore and test all conceivable ways to get consumers to choose products that make use of the entire grain. That is a key area where our industry’s responsibility to develop sensory attributes comes into play,” says Mikael Åstrand, Director Group R&D and Innovation, Lantmännen.

“Plant breeding in Sweden and Europe has increased yield potential and adapted quality to the needs of crops in recent decades. In the future, plant breeding will become even more important. Developed and niche AI technology and CRISPR-CAS9 are important tools to ensure that global food production is sufficient. New technology and adapted tools lay the foundation for continued development as the population to be fed grows at today’s pace,” says Desirée Börjesdotter, Director Plant Breeding, Lantmännen.

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