According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, at least 20% of fruits and vegetables are discarded from the global supply chain and never reach the tables of the consumers. Food waste is something that is a cause of concern especially as food security is something that’s of priority, especially after the global pandemic.

To help contribute to the global campaign of reducing food waste, DOLE Sunshine Company is teaming up with the Singapore Economic Development Board to run Dole Specialty Ingredients (DSI). DSI will be transforming fruit waste into functional nutritional ingredients that will be integrated into the food and beverage industry, among others.

This new business will be gathering and collecting unused fruit parts and turn them into natural ingredients such as seed oils, extracts, enzymes and fibres. Manufacture of these specialty products is in line with the Dole promise initiative, wherein the company aims to achieve zero fruit loss by 2025.

“We will transform all fruit losses and unutilised fruit side-streams into high-value, natural products for highly profitable, less volatile product categories through innovation. This way, fruit losses are upcycled instead of being left behind or sent to landfills. Singapore, being Dole Sunshine Company’s global headquarters, could not be a better place to anchor our new Speciality Ingredients business, and we are privileged to have EDB’s support as well as the partnership with A*STAR, on this journey” said Pier Luigi Sigismondi, President, Food and Beverages Group, Dole Sunshine Company. 

Choo Heng Tong, Executive Vice President, New Ventures and Innovation, EDB, said: “We are pleased to partner with Dole Specialty Ingredients, which will leverage the supply chain advantages that Dole Sunshine Company brings to capture the market opportunity for sustainably-sourced natural ingredients with distinct functionalities. We will continue working with DSI to tap on Singapore’s industry and R&D ecosystem, as well as our connectivity to the region, to support Dole Sunshine Company’s efforts to build an entirely new business from Singapore.”