2022: Our year in review

Without question, the standout milestone this year was the completion of the sale of our Primary Products business in the Americas. With this change, we became a focused speciality food and beverage ingredients provider dedicated to making food and drink healthier and tastier so that we can deliver our purpose of Transforming Lives through the Science of Food.

An evolving ingredient portfolio

To extend our leading ingredients portfolio, we acquired a prebiotic dietary fibre business in China, Quantum Hi-Tech, making Tate & Lyle the leading provider of soluble dietary fibre in the world. We also acquired Nutriati, a North American chickpea ingredient company specialising in chickpea protein and flour, to meet the demands of the growing market for plant-based products. Expanding our leading sugar reduction solutions portfolio further, we added ERYTESSE® Erythritol, a sweetener with 70% sweetness of sucrose (table sugar) but with none of its calories.

Science-driven partnerships

We’re not just producers, we’re pioneers of ingredient technology. In the year to 31 March ‘22, we created 30+ new stevia-based sweetener solutions and launched 10 new products from our innovation pipeline. We have also continued to strengthen partnerships with leading research bodies worldwide in 2022. With APC Microbiome Ireland, for instance, we have been increasing understanding of how dietary fibres impact the functioning of the gut microbiome, the community of bacteria in our bodies that aid digestion, destroys harmful bacteria, and helps control our immune system, alongside other roles. Our synbiotic (a combination of prebiotics and probiotics) fibre technology that we have jointly developed, is showing positive preliminary results in supporting heart health and many other metabolic benefits. It’s an exciting development and just one in a host of active research projects to support healthy living.

Sharing knowledge and expertise

Our support for science extends well beyond the laboratory. We believe that knowledge is power and through our education and outreach programmes, we are connecting our experts with the wider world to improve public health. For instance, our sugar and calorie reduction programme in the UAE welcomed more than 390 food and drink manufacturers, academics and government officials, and was a first for the region. For consumers and health professionals, we developed a new tool – our Fibre Calculator – to help build awareness of the fibre gap, the many benefits of fibre, and ways to increase fibre in the diet, developed with the British Nutrition Foundation.

Responsible production and sourcing

While supporting healthier diets may be our main contribution to solving the world’s challenges, ensuring we operate in a responsible way with minimal environmental impact is crucial. In 2022, Tate & Lyle committed to be carbon net zero by 2050. To achieve this goal, we’re continuing to drive efficiencies in our own operations and have made a new commitment to purchase 100% renewable energy by 2030. Still, with Scope 3 or value chain emissions making up the largest portion of our carbon footprint, we are focused on developing our sustainable corn and stevia agriculture programmes. In China, with Earthwatch Europe, this year we have helped more stevia growers in Dongtai, East China, and Linze, West China, to operate more sustainably benefiting their own operations and their communities.

Providing nourishment for neighbours in need

This year, we have been able to get out into our communities more easily, and our people have grasped the opportunity to provide meals, support education and wellness programmes, and generally provide a helping hand where it’s most needed. Our people in Łódz, Poland and Boleráz, Slovakia helped refugees from the conflict in Ukraine and our colleagues worldwide helped raise £125,000 in a donation matching scheme. We’ve renewed our school breakfast and education programme with Enders Salk school in Chicago, now in its sixth year, and in Mexico we’ve established a new partnership with Nuestros Pequenos Hermanos, a charity, to support vulnerable children with food cultivation, nutrition education and mentorships. In China, our ‘Healthy Eating, Happy Learning’ programme continues, with 2,000 children to benefit from healthy snacks, nutrition education support and kitchen equipment.

Creating a work environment where people thrive

For us, building thriving communities is about both supporting our neighbours and supporting our people. In our business, we continue to take steps to provide more flexible and family friendly ways of working, such as our new global equal parental leave policy, which gives all employees a minimum of 16 weeks full-paid parental leave. We’ve also made good strides towards our commitment to reach gender parity in leadership and management roles, with women holding 42% of these positions. And in senior leadership, we’re even closer. We’re proud that 45% of our Board and 56% of our Executive Committee are women, having welcomed Dawn Allen and Tamsin Vine this year in the roles of Chief Finance Officer and Chief Human Resources Officer, respectively.

Driving equity, diversity and inclusion in our business will continue to be a priority into 2023 and beyond as we work to ensure employees feel seen, heard, and valued, and our teams reflect the local communities we serve.

These are just some of the highlights in another purpose-led year at Tate & Lyle. We are excited to see what 2023 brings but, in the meantime, we wish our colleagues, customers, partners and communities across the globe ‘Happy Holidays!’ and a healthy 2023!