Lantmännen
Lantmännen is an agricultural cooperative and Northern Europe’s leader in agriculture, machinery, bioenergy and food products.
Lantmännen is an agricultural cooperative and Northern Europe’s leader in agriculture, machinery, bioenergy and food products.
The Agriculture Sector constitutes Lantmännen's core business and offers products and services to promote strong, competitive farming.
The Energy Sector is Sweden’s largest producer of bioenergy products.
The Food Sector develops, processes and markets products that include flour, breakfast foods, pasta, frozen and fresh bread, crispbread and ready-to-eat meals.
Lantmännen is an agricultural cooperative founded on the deep knowledge our farmers have aquired over generations. We make farming thrive and work together to take responsibility from field to fork.
From our core farming business, through the value chain, from field to fork, we are involved in every step from sowing to harvesting; to the food on our tables, feed for our livestock and climate –smart biofuels.
Owned by Swedish farmers, Sweden is our base with the Baltic Sea area as our expanded domestic market. We have a strong international presence, and no matter which country and location we operate in, we always take the same responsibility.
We pursue research and invest in innovation for tomorrow’s agriculture, bioenergy and foods of the future. Innovations are crucial if we are to resolve the challenges of today and tomorrow, which is why Lantmännen also has its own research foundation.
You´ll find the Lantmännen sprout on our packaging. The products may be different, but everyone can feel safe that we also minimise impact on climate and people. If you find the sprout on a packet, you can be sure what’s inside is Good Food from Lantmännen.
Straw-shortening growth regulators inhibit the growth of grain stems, reducing the risk of crop lodging. We work to ensure that the use of chemicals in cultivation is sustainable, to minimize environmental and health-related risks.
Growth regulators are used to inhibit the growth of grain stems, reducing the risk of crop lodging which leads to difficulty harvesting and harvests of lower quality. In Sweden, straw-shortening growth regulators have previously only been allowed to use on rye, which has longer stems than other grain types. Legislation has been less restrictive in the rest of the EU. Since 2011, use of straw-shortening growth regulators on wheat, barley and oats is permitted in Sweden as well.
There is an ongoing discussion in the industry and in media about traces of pesticides in foods as well as other environmental and health aspects related to pesticides. When it comes to grain, the discussion is primarily focused on the use of straw-shortening growth regulators, since they are basically the only chemicals sometimes found in detectable levels. In Sweden the National Food Agency tests for traces of pesticides in vegetable and animal-based foods annually, to ensure they don’t contain amounts that are harmful or too high.
In the Swedish National Food Agency’s 2018 control of pesticide traces in foods a total of 122 samples of Swedish wheat and 33 samples of Swedish rye were analyzed. In the control of Swedish wheat, no samples contained traces of growth regulators over the limit, and in 88 percent of the samples, no traces at all where found. In the control of Swedish rye no sample contained traces over the limit, but 67 percent of the samples had traces in form of straw shortening growth regulators.
Source: Swedish National Food Agency report ”Kontroll av bekämpningsmedelsrester I livsmedel 2018.
Do you want to read more about pesticide traces in foods? We recommend that you visit the Swedish National Food Agency website
Lantmännen handles large amounts of grain and therefore needs to ensure clear information and responsible handling with regards to growth regulators in different grain flows. We offer products where the grain is cultivated without straw-shortening growth regulators. We work to ensure a sustainable use of growth regulators and to minimize environmental and health risks. We cultivate with different concepts and can offer products where the grain has been separated all the way from harvest to product. Kungsörnen’s A Friendlier Wheat and A Friendlier Rye as well as Lantmännen Cerealia’s organic assortment is cultivated without straw-shortening agents.
Regarding grain that is sold to other markets, our customers define limitations to the use of straw-shortening growth regulators, apart from what is stipulated by law. Among our customers and markets there is a demand both for so called standard quality, meaning use of growth regulators is accepted, as well as of grain 100% free from growth regulators.
Straw-shortening growth regulators is today an important issue in the dialogue with our many food customers, for example bakeries and other food companies.