Cargill Animal Nutrition and Health is positioning itself as a comprehensive partner for animal producers navigating an increasingly complex business environment marked by volatile costs, tight margins, and rising regulatory demands. This is a message the company will echo at Expana’s Agri-Food Europe, which returns to Amsterdam on February 25-26.
The company’s approach, detailed to us ahead of the event by Christos Antipatis, Vice President of Global Strategic Marketing and Technology, Micronutrition and Health Solutions, emphasizes supply chain resilience, innovation tied to measurable outcomes, and integrated solutions designed to address the full scope of customer challenges. At Agri-Food Europe, Antipatis will participate in an industry panel on February 26 titled ‘Challenges in the Animal Nutrition and Feed Sector.’
“Across the world producers are being asked to do more with less,” Antipatis said. “Costs remain volatile, margins are tight, regulatory expectations are rising, and at the same time animal producers are expected to deliver measurable sustainability and animal health outcomes. That pressure is real, and it shows up every day.”
In response, Cargill has built its strategy around supply chain resilience and diversification. “Supply chain resilience is always a priority for us, even when customers are not explicitly asking about it,” Antipatis said. “Our responsibility has always been to ensure stability and continuity so customers can confidently run their businesses.”
“We operate in a global system, and delivering consistently requires strong supplier partnerships and functioning global trade,” he added. “Whenever we source ingredients, we are intentional about maintaining multiple safe, high-quality options. Diversification is critical. It allows us to navigate geopolitical shifts, tariffs, anti-dumping measures, or other disruptions without compromising on quality or performance.”
Antipatis went on to say: “For 160 years, we’ve navigated a complex and constantly changing global environment. We have deep expertise, reliable global supply chains, strong supplier partnerships, and longstanding relationships with policymakers worldwide to help our customers navigate whatever comes next.”
The company has thus reframed its relationship with producers as a strategic partnership. “Animal producers are looking for partners who understand the full system they operate in and can help them make better decisions, faster … At Cargill Animal Nutrition & Health, we are focused on helping our customers reach their goals under pressure, whether that’s improving feed efficiency, navigating reformulation, strengthening disease resilience, or protecting profitability,” Antipatis explained. “Our most critical capability today is our ability to surround a customer problem with the right combination of people, products and platforms to achieve a specific outcome.”
Last month, Cargill introduced ‘Next Level. Realized.’, a customer promise centered on measurable results. “It reflects a simple but critical idea: ambition only matters if it turns into outcomes customers can actually measure,” Antipatis said. “That means combining science, expertise, and digital tools in a way that works in the real world, to address real pressure.”
Addressing regulatory constraints is a priority, particularly in Europe. “As regulatory frameworks tighten, customers need solutions that are compliant, reliable, and feasible to implement,” he said. “Our responsibility is to operate within the law, anticipate evolving requirements, and help customers translate those changes into practical reformulation pathways. From there, we focus on protecting both performance and competitiveness. Higher performance cannot come at the expense of cost reality.”
Antipatis stressed that innovation remains central to the company’s competitiveness strategy. “Through advanced formulation expertise and proven solutions, we help customers extract more value from the raw materials they already use. That includes improving nutrient utilization, increasing efficiency with the same resources, and in some cases enabling the responsible use of byproducts or alternative inputs without compromising performance.”
“Innovation always starts with the customer and the problem that needs solving,” he added. “We use a clear jobs-to-be-done lens, so innovation is tied to real outcomes, not novelty. If it does not help customers improve performance, manage risk, or operate more efficiently, it is not the right investment.”
“Cost pressure and innovation are not opposites,” Antipatis concluded. “When innovation is guided by customer needs and verified outcomes, it becomes one of the most practical ways to help customers stay competitive.”
“The discussion I’m looking forward to [in Amsterdam] is how we, as an industry, move from discussing challenges to building systems and solutions that help customers realize that next level of performance and profitability.”
Tickets are still available for Agrifood Europe in Amsterdam
Developed for senior professionals in buying, selling, and supply chain roles, Agri-Food Europe delivers essential insight into the trends and disruptions reshaping agri-food markets. Attendees will gain the strategic knowledge and tools needed to make smarter, future-ready commercial decisions to prepare for an increasingly complex global food system.
Written by Expana
