BASF will present paths to safer and more sustainable nutrition at the 4th Global Feed & Food Congress (GFFC), which will take place in Sun City, South Africa on April 10-12, 2013. It is the first time that this international congress is being held in Africa.
The International Feed Industry Federation organizes these congresses with technical support from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
BASF is a bronze sponsor of the event, at which more than 500 representatives of the agrifood industry, officials, and global leaders will discuss issues related to feed and food safety, food security, technology, and sustainability.
“Global food safety is our concern,” said Dr. Alexandra Brand, who heads BASF’s global Animal Nutrition business unit. “We strive to optimize animal nutrition by making it safer, for example by addressing mycotoxin contamination. OurNovasilTM Plus aflatoxin binder helps reduce health risks in livestock feeding and, ultimately, improve food safety.”
BASF’s mycotoxin binder Novasil Plus is a feed additive that specifically binds aflatoxins. Adding Novasil Plus, which consists of natural clay, to feed minimizes the uptake of aflatoxins by livestock during digestion. Contamination of grains and feedstuffs with aflatoxins is common, and is particularly high in warm, humid weather, after droughts, and in subtropical regions. Aflatoxins are the most dangerous mycotoxins occurring in feed and food; they negatively impact the health of both animals and humans. Metabolites of aflatoxins find their way from livestock into the food chain, mainly via milk, and pose a major food safety risk for humans.
Novasil Plus is currently registered as a mycotoxin binder in many but not all countries.
Dr. Christoph Günther of BASF SE, who is in charge of the SET applied sustainability initiative in Europe, will speak at the GFFC about “creating brand value via applied sustainability.” SET takes a holistic view of the feed-to-food sector. It applies a range of sustainability analyses and develops strategies for making consumer products more sustainable. This enables customers to differentiate themselves from competitors and make a major contribution to ensuring a sustainable food supply for the world’s growing population.
“Everyone along the value chain can contribute to more sustainable food production, both upstream and downstream,” said Dr. Günther. “It is crucial to take an open, broad view of a product throughout its life cycle.”
