Employees play a vital role in creating a safe and healthy workplace. The Van Hessen Netherlands SHE (Safety, Health & Environment) team launched a pilot campaign at the start of the year re-centralizing the importance of Safety after the holidays. The campaign is scalable and can become a staple ‘Back to Work’ rally across geographies throughout the year.

The “Welcome Back to Work” theme serves as a friendly reminder to stay sharp, stay alert, and keep safety top of mind.

Simple messaging, big impact

Experience shows that accident reports understandably rise after longer breaks. Following time off, routines can feel rusty, and focus may slip a little. This campaign helps employees hit the ground running, safely. It’s not just about following rules – it’s about protecting yourself and your colleagues every single day. The campaign uses postcards, posters and an animation to highlight the five Safety, Health & Environment core pillars:

• I am Sharp and Alert
• I am not under the influence of alcohol or drugs
• I check that everything is safe before starting work
• I report unsafe situations, damages and injuries
• I am responsible for my own safety and the safety of others

This pilot in the Netherlands is a first step toward a bigger goal: zero (lost-time) accidents and zero negative health impact. If successful, the team will roll out the campaign in other geographies as well, observing the different holiday preferences and cultural conventions as part of a broader SHE strategy.

Safety matters

At Van Hessen, SHE isn’t just a policy – it’s a commitment. We have a legal and moral obligation to ensure safe, healthy, and compliant working conditions for all employees, contractors, and visitors.

CNM Ingredients GmbH has officially launched as part of the SARIA Food & Pharma division, focusing on the development of marine‑origin collagen peptides.

New facility in Cuxhaven

CNM Ingredients operates from a food‑grade facility in Cuxhaven, northern Germany. The site, leased from Bioceval (part of SARIA Ingredients & Energy), is the former Lipromar facility and is now being rebuilt for marine collagen peptide production. Three former Lipromar employees have joined the company to support product development and the installation of the new production line.

Expanding the marine‑based portfolio

CNM Ingredients will produce collagen peptides derived from fish byproducts, along with fish oils and proteins to ensure full valorization of raw materials. All processes are designed to meet strict requirements for quality, safety, and traceability. Once available, the marine collagen peptides will be marketed and sold through Bioiberica as part of its established nutraceutical portfolio.

SARIA Food & Pharma CEO, Harald van Boxtel welcomes the launch as an important step for the division:

“I am excited that we are able to launch our marine-based collagen peptides as part of our strategy for SARIA Food & Pharma after the acquisition of Devro. This has only been possible, based on our culture principle ‘we are even better together’, because we brought together the expertise of SARIA Food & Pharma, Devro and Bioiberica in a combined collaboration.”

Next steps

The CNM Ingredients team is progressing through the required regulatory preparations and certification processes. As the business moves toward launch in 2026, plans include scaling operations and strengthening the team to support continuous production.

More information is available at

www.cnm-ingredients.com.

Bioiberica has worked with Lactalis Spain to bring something genuinely new to the market: Puleva Vita Calcio Colágeno, Spain’s first milk beverage enriched with our Collavant® n2 native type II collagen. It’s a strong example of how our science is moving into everyday food and drink products.

About the ingredient

Collavant® n2 is supported by multiple studies showing benefits at a low daily dose of 40 mg. Research demonstrates it can help support faster recovery after exercise and maintain cartilage health in people with activity‑related joint discomfort.

In a subgroup with higher discomfort levels, Collavant® n2 led to an 18.3% reduction in CTX‑II, a key biomarker of cartilage degradation. The placebo group saw a 20.6% increase over the same period.
The ingredient also holds self‑affirmed GRAS status and NutraStrong™ Collagen Verification.

Why it matters

This launch shows how collagen is becoming more relevant to everyday consumers, and how Collavant® n2 can be integrated into mainstream foods and beverages. It also opens the door to future innovation and new product formats.

The result

Puleva Vita Calcio Colágeno is now on the market in Spain, offering consumers a simple, science‑backed way to support joint health as part of their daily routine.

On 21 January, members of the Rethmann family visited two key SARIA Food & Pharma operations in China: Devro Nantong and Van Hessen Shanghai. The visit highlighted strong teamwork across the region and the ongoing progress at both sites.

Highlights from Nantong

At Devro Nantong, Dr. Martin Rethmann, Lukas Rethmann and Jan Harnisch were welcomed by local leadership. Group Head of Manufacturing Michal outlined performance improvements since 2021, especially in efficiency and production speed.

Operations Director Wendy Li shared key achievements:

• Recognition as a National High‑Tech Enterprise
• Two years without lost‑time incidents
• Halal certification, supporting market expansion

The delegation toured production areas, including the reeling and shirring automation line. Planned upgrades, such as eight new reeling lines were also reviewed. During a PATL visit, the group sampled DFF and STIX products, with Dr. Rethmann noting that Devro DFF V3 outperforms competing products in texture and frying performance.

Insights from Shanghai

In Shanghai, the group visited Shanghai Star Casing Company, a long‑standing Van Hessen partner. The tour covered Sheep and Hog workshops, quality processes, and Van Hessen’s patented speed pipe technology, designed to reduce foreign objects during production.

At Van Hessen’s Shanghai office, the China Management Team presented the global Van Hessen strategy, APAC developments, and progress from the 2025 commercial integration of Van Hessen and Devro, which has already delivered joint successes.

Strengthening future collaboration

The Rethmann family expressed appreciation for the expertise and commitment demonstrated across both sites. The visit strengthened shareholders’ understanding of the site’s progress and provided strong motivation for employees as the team continues to support the Group’s global strategy.