Backed by feed giant, Black soldier fly protein for salmon to be rolled out on a global scale.
“We recognize that the planet has finite resources,” said Pilar Cruz, president of Cargill’s compound feed business. “It is our job to find innovative feed options for our customers that protect the planet and support sustainable protein production.”
InnovaFeed uses co-products from the agriculture production of starch and sugar to feed black soldier fly larvae known as Hermetia illucens. Once the larvae reach a certain stage, protein and oil are extracted from the larvae to be used in feed for aquaculture. Last year, InnovaFeed partnered up with Tereos, a cooperative sugar group in France that processes agricultural raw materials into sugar, alcohol and starch.
Over the past three years, the French company has led multiple trials demonstrating that its insect protein can be an effective alternative to fishmeal used in salmon or shrimp feed with equal or improved performance.
“By upcycling local cereal co-products and repurposing insect waste as an organic fertilizer, InnovaFeed’s products truly have a positive environmental impact,” said InnovaFeed CEO Clément Ray. “We’re also able to have a positive impact on climate change by saving 25,000 tons of CO2 emissions per year with each 10,000-ton-production unit by feeding insect meal to animals. That is equivalent to removing 14,000 cars off the roads.”
“We’ve seen a strong acceptance of our products by consumers looking for natural and sustainable products,” said Innovafeed head of business development Maye Walraven. Insect-fed trout has been commercialized in France since June of last year.
“This partnership will not only enable our salmon and shrimp customers to differentiate their product lines to meet consumer needs, but we’ll also be responsibly managing resources, enabling both companies to support the growth of sustainable aquaculture and make a positive impact at a global scale,” said Cargill aqua nutrition business president Adriano Marcon.
“We found the ideal partner in InnovaFeed,” added Cargill director of risk management and sourcing for animal nutrition Helene Ziv. “We have a shared purpose—offering innovative, sustainable solutions to meet the nutritional needs of our growing population and our customers.”
