DSM is to merge the recently acquired Roche Vitamins and Fine Chemicals business with its existing vitamins and animal feed ingredients operations to form DSM Nutritional Products (DNP).  The new division will be run by executives drawn from both businesses and headed by DSM board member Fieke Sijbesma.

Nutritional feed  products account for 32% of DSM's business, worth around 4.5 billion Euros in total sales in 2002. Chairman of the Board of DSM, Peter Elverding, acknowledged the difficult trading environment, saying that Roche Vitamins had suffered from the aftermath of the price fixing litigation, from competition from Chinese vitamins and exchange rates. However he said he expected the market to bottom out soon: Vitamin C prices had hit their lowest point in 2002 and were now rising he said. Profitability would be improved through the introduction of operating efficiencies and restructuriing. Details will be announced by the end of the year.