Bühler AG working to feed the global population

Bühler AG, the technology group headquartered in the St.GallenBodenseeArea, and the  German Institute for Food Technologies (DIL) have agreed a partnership. Together, the two partners are planning to develop new production technologies for healthy, sustainable food produce, above all in the area of protein-rich meat substitute products.

According to a press release, the partnership should enable Bühler AG to feed a global population that looks set to rise to approximately ten billion people by 2050 while at the same time cutting the areas under cultivation by 35%. “If we are to be able to do this and mitigate the climate change increase that we currently see, we need to build strong partnerships with purpose”, comments Ian Roberts, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at Bühler AG, in the press release, before adding: “And we need to build those in areas where we can drive major impact”.

With an additional protein demand totalling 250 million tons per year, the pressure is rising to find alternatives to animal-based proteins. In view of the harmful environmental influences linked to the current system, “there is growing consensus that the food industry must change course immediately”, the press release states further. Moreover, the increasing demand for sustainable food produce shows that the food industry has a real opportunity to drive positive change in this regard.

“With Bühler’s expertise in extrusion, but also in other engineering disciplines, such as milling, plant proteins, and powder handlings, we will be able to provide new and customized solutions for our clients and for the rapidly changing market”, explains Volker Lammers, Head of Research Platform Process Engineering at the DIL. “With Bühler, we have a competent partner along the full protein value chain”, he concludes.