Ten thought-provoking facts from the most-read Cargill.com stories of 2015

Happy New Year! Last year, we commemorated our 150th anniversary. Our rich history has long been a catalyst for thinking about the future, and today we look forward to sharing more information and stories that are relevant and useful to you, our readers, whatever your interest in Cargill and wherever in the world you may be.

What sparked our audiences’ interests in 2015? We looked at the most-read Cargill.com stories of the year and picked out what we thought were 10 particularly thought-provoking items. Thank you for reading and sharing our stories and have a safe and happy 2016.

“On Dec. 30, 2014, Cargill acquired the Poliplant Group…operations that comprise approximately 50,000 hectares of contiguous smallholder and company land adjacent to Cargill's existing palm oil operations in West Kalimantan, Indonesia.”
From Cargill takes steps to meet growing demand for sustainable palm oil

Technically the last acquisition of 2014, the acquisition of Poliplant was the first big change announced in 2015. It came on the heels of Cargill’s first Palm Oil Progress Report, which set the course for further progress towards a fully sustainable and traceable palm oil supply chain.

“The 2015 World Economic Forum named water crises the #1 global risk in terms of potential impact and #8 in terms of likelihood.”
From Sustainability is the new normal

In his remarks at the April Financial Times Commodities Global Summit, Cargill Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Dave MacLennan declared that sustainability is the “new normal.” In addition to noting some of the signposts of this new normal, like water crises and The Rockefeller Foundation’s decision to divest itself of all interests in fossil fuel exploration and production, MacLennan called on the commodities industries to embrace transparency.

“An estimated 90 percent of the world's exports travel by sea.”
From How Cargill is making shipping cleaner

Casting a light on the various ways Cargill can make progress on sustainability goals, this story detailed the recent actions of Cargill’s shipping businesses. They were among the first in the industry to commit to steering clear of the ships that cause the most pollution.

"Cuba imports about 80 percent of its food, which means that there is significant economic potential for (American) producers. It's a $1.7 billion market."
From Cargill helps launch drive to end Cuban embargo

With this quote, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack voiced his support for the mission of the U.S. Agriculture Coalition for Cuba, a new group of more than 30 American agricultural trade organizations and companies, including Cargill. Its goal is to normalize trade relations with the island state.

“The first drone in Cargill’s fleet is the Skywalker UAV, a six-foot-long, battery-powered, fixed-wing aircraft that can handle a two kilogram payload and deliver images with 10 centimeter per pixel resolution.”
From A high-tech approach to sustainable palm oil

Recent technology is being deployed in highly-useful ways on Cargill palm plantations in Malaysia. In May, a small group of prospective pilots were trained to use unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), also known as drones. The drones are being used to map and monitor land use and aid yield intensification efforts.

“Cargill is on track to make its goal of 100 percent sustainable palm oil supply chains by 2020.”
From Cargill issues new palm oil sustainability report

An article that heralded the release of Cargill’s second palm oil progress update included two impactful items in related news: Cargill’s recent advancements on its high sustainability standards, and the introduction of drones to map and monitor land use in Indonesia.

“EverSweet sweetener, which allows customers to make very significant sugar reductions and create some unique no-sugar-added products debuted during the Supply Side West trade show Oct. 7-8 in Las Vegas and will be available in 2016.”
From Cargill's zero-calorie EverSweet hits the market

Cargill’s new next-generation sweetener, EverSweet, has no calories, no impact on blood glucose levels, and offers the same great taste as the best parts of the stevia leaf.

“In just over two decades, billions of people are expected to move out of poverty. The number of people in the middle class will double in the Mideast and North Africa, and triple in Sub-Saharan Africa. And in Asia, a region that already has far more people than agricultural resources to feed them, the middle class is expected to increase by more than 600 percent.”
From In 4 Charts: The past, present and future of food security

Four charts presented a world of information on the challenges facing humanity as we move to a world with more than 9 billion people by 2050. They detailed the growth of the middle class, showed how agricultural production doubled globally without significantly expanding land use, examined the trend of cheaper food, and took a historic look at U.S. corn yields.

“Two years ago, Cargill started promoting the CowSignals training program, which gives dairy farmers a structured framework for analyzing cow ergonomics. More than 100 dairy farmers in Eastern Canada have now hosted CowSignals sessions…the most in any country since the program's inception 12 years ago.”
From What Cows Want

Offering a glimpse inside the mind of a dairy cow, this story followed Canadian farmers (and Cargill producers) on their journey to discovering the best way to keep their herds healthy, happy and productive.

“…Consumers are increasingly looking for products free from synthetic ingredients, which can be replaced by gentler, food-safe alternatives obtained from nature-derived raw materials like corn, soy, palm and seaweed.”
From Sustainability with style

Products powered by nature were attention-getters for Cargill at the biggest global trade show in the world dedicated to cosmetic ingredients. In 2015, Cargill showcased products made from its portfolio of sustainable ingredients, including a hair styling and texturing agent made with carrageenans, which are extracted from red seaweeds, and a skin moisturizer that is a unique combination of bio-fermented scleroglucan and xanthan gum.