Cargill and InnovaFeed partner to bring innovative, sustainable feed to animal producers

Cargill and InnovaFeed have entered into a strategic partnership to bring sustainable and innovative feed options to the animal nutrition industry. Through the partnership, Cargill and InnovaFeed will collaborate to jointly market fish feed which includes insect protein, enabling both partners to support the growth of sustainable aquaculture.

“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’s circular economy approach brings added sustainability benefits as the company 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 pets, aquaculture species and young animals like broilers and piglets.

“By upcycling local cereal co-products and repurposing insect waste as an organic fertilizer, InnovaFeed’s products truly have a positive environmental impact,” said Clement Ray, chief executive officer, InnovaFeed. “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 unit¹  by feeding insect meal to animals. That is equivalent to removing 14,000 cars off the roads.”

InnovaFeed’s team of more than 60 engineers and technicians have developed an innovative process allowing them to produce high-quality insect meal at an industrial scale. Over the past three years, InnovaFeed 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.

“We’ve seen a strong acceptance of our products by consumers looking for natural and sustainable products,” said Maye Walraven, head of business development for InnovaFeed. 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 Adriano Marcon, president of Cargill’s aqua nutrition business.

“We found the ideal partner in InnovaFeed,” added Helene Ziv, director of risk management and sourcing for Cargill’s animal nutrition business. “We have a shared purpose—offering innovative, sustainable solutions to meet the nutritional needs of our growing population and our customers.”

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 ¹ 10,000 tons from energy savings for starch and sugar industries providing the waste streams and 15,000 tons from replacing higher footprint ingredients in fish feed (LCA performed by third party expert “I Care & Consult”)

Cargill’s 155,000 employees across 70 countries work relentlessly to achieve our purpose of nourishing the world in a safe, responsible and sustainable way. Every day, we connect farmers with markets, customers with ingredients, and people and animals with the food they need to thrive.

We combine 153 years of experience with new technologies and insights to serve as a trusted partner for food, agriculture, financial and industrial customers in more than 125 countries. Side-by-side, we are building a stronger, sustainable future for agriculture.

Cargill’s animal nutrition business has more than 20,000 employees at more than 275 facilities in 40 countries. Fueled by our innovation and research, we offer a range of products and services to feed manufacturers, animal producers, and feed retailers around the world, helping put food on the plates of nearly one billion people around the world every day. Cargill’s animal nutrition business offers a range of compound feed, premixes, feed additives, supply chain and risk management solutions, software tools and animal nutrition expertise that is unmatched in the industry. For more information about Cargill Animal Nutrition, visit: http://www.cargill.com/feed.

InnovaFeed is a biotech company that produces a new source of protein from insect rearing (Hermetia illucens) for animal feed, more specifically for aquaculture. InnovaFeed’s mission is to participate in the rise of sustainable food systems by addressing the increasing demand for natural, healthy and competitive raw materials. Combining the largest production capacity on the market and state of the art research in biotechnology, InnovaFeed has developed an innovative technology and process enabling the production of high-quality insect meal at industrial scale and at a competitive price.

Additional information: www.innovafeed.com.