Tate & Lyle and Land O'Lakes SUSTAIN launch landmark sustainability initiative on 1.5 million acres of U.S. corn

LONDON, UK and ARDEN HILLS, Minn., Sept. 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Tate & Lyle PLC (Tate & Lyle), a leading global provider of food, beverage and industrial ingredients and solutions, and Land O'Lakes SUSTAIN, the sustainable solutions business of one of America's largest farmer-owned cooperatives, today announced a major new initiative to help bolster sustainability on 1.5 million acres of U.S.-grown corn. Using best-in-class technology and sustainability solutions from Land O'Lakes SUSTAIN, U.S. Midwest corn farmers will be helped to more effectively target and measure the impact of efforts to protect the environment.

Tate & Lyle is the first corn wet-milling ingredient supplier to launch a sustainable agriculture program of this kind, with an acreage scope representing the corn it buys globally each year. The company aims to enable more sustainable farming practices, support its customers' environmental initiatives and impact reporting, and ultimately increase transparency throughout the food and beverage industry. Through this commitment, Tate & Lyle is able to connect members of the value chain and key stakeholders to drive positive change. 

"Corn is our main raw material and we are proud to have the opportunity to make a positive impact on the lives of U.S. farmers by supporting sustainable agriculture for the equivalent of the entire 1.5 million acres of corn we buy globally each year," said Nick Hampton, Tate & Lyle CEO. "Through this unique program, we are demonstrating our purpose of Improving Lives for Generations, helping to protect farmer livelihoods and supporting their work to protect natural resources by encouraging sustainable agriculture best practices."

"As a farmer-owned cooperative, Land O'Lakes knows stewardship starts at the farm gate, with the farmer, and we are excited to launch this landmark effort alongside Tate & Lyle leveraging ag tech to support on-farm sustainability," said Beth Ford, President and CEO of Land O'Lakes, Inc. "The Truterra Insights Engine is changing the game for sustainability led by farmers and their ag retailers. It's equipping them with new solutions, customized to every acre to help protect the air, soil and water, maintain a focus on the health of their business, and benchmark their progress in a way that's meaningful from farmer to fork."

Under the program, participating corn farmers in the Midwest will receive customized support through their local agricultural retailer, to help drive measurable improvements in greenhouse gas emission reduction, nitrogen efficiency, water and wind erosion, and soil quality. The Truterra™ Insights Engine, launched last fall by Land O'Lakes SUSTAIN, will support corn farmers in the new program to make data-informed decisions about their farms, with acre-by-acre insights to drive environmental improvements and help optimize their businesses.

As part of the program, Tate & Lyle will leverage the technology to access information on the enrolled acreage and have greater visibility of improvements it is helping to drive in air and water quality and soil health, providing a more transparent value chain for its customers.

The new effort announced today builds on a pilot project launched in November 2018 by the two companies, which reached over 300,000 acres of U.S.-grown corn, benchmarking stewardship efforts on farms in Illinois and Indiana.

For more information on the Truterra™ Insights Engine, visit: www.truterrainsights.com. For more information on the pilot project announced last year, see this media release.

About Tate & Lyle: 
Tate & Lyle is a global provider of solutions and ingredients for food, beverage and industrial markets.

Tate & Lyle operates through two global divisions, Food & Beverage Solutions and Primary Products, supported by the Innovation and Commercial Development and Global Operations teams. Food & Beverage Solutions is focused on growth by building leading positions globally in the categories of beverages, dairy, and soups, sauces and dressings. Primary Products is focused on delivering steady earnings and generating cash.

Food & Beverage Solutions consists of: Texturants, including speciality starches; Sweeteners, including low- and no-calorie sweeteners; and a Health and Wellness portfolio comprising mainly speciality fibres; and Stabilisers and Functional Systems, which are bespoke ingredient blends that ensure foods retain their structure.

Primary Products consists of high-volume sweeteners, industrial starches and fermentation products (primarily acidulants). It also sells co-products from the corn milling process as animal nutrition.

Tate & Lyle is listed on the London Stock Exchange under the symbol TATE.L. American Depositary Receipts trade under TATYY. In the year to 31 March 2019, Tate & Lyle sales totalled £2.8 billion. For more information, please visit www.tateandlyle.com.

About Land O'Lakes SUSTAIN: 

Land O'Lakes SUSTAIN is a leading stewardship solutions provider, advancing and connecting stewardship efforts throughout the food system with scale – from farmers to ag retailers to partners like food companies. Land O'Lakes SUSTAIN positions farmers for success by providing them tools and resources to track progress on every acre they farm. Land O'Lakes SUSTAIN's network brings together the best in agricultural technology and on-farm business management to drive sustainability across the food system, feeding people, safeguarding the planet and supporting farmer livelihoods. Land O'Lakes SUSTAIN was launched in 2016 by Land O'Lakes, Inc., a member-owned cooperative that spans the spectrum from agricultural production to consumer foods. With 2018 annual sales of $15 billion, Land O'Lakes is one of the nation's largest cooperatives, ranking 212 on the Fortune 500. Land O'Lakes, Inc. corporate headquarters are located in Arden Hills, Minn. For more information on Land O'Lakes SUSTAIN, visit www.landolakessustain.com.

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SOURCE Land O'Lakes, Inc.; Tate & Lyle PLC