Tyson and Protix Partner on Sustainable Protein
Tyson Foods, Inc.
Tyson Foods, Inc., a global food industry giant, has recently inked a significant partnership agreement with Protix, a leading player in the global insect-based ingredients sector.
This strategic collaboration represents a two-fold investment aimed at fueling the burgeoning insect ingredient industry and fostering the use of insect-derived solutions to craft more sustainable and efficient proteins and lipids for the worldwide food system.
The agreement seamlessly merges Tyson Foods' extensive global reach, industry expertise, and robust network with Protix's cutting-edge technology and market leadership. Together, they intend to address the current market demand and scale up insect ingredient production.
In a direct equity investment move, Tyson Foods is poised to acquire a minority stake in Protix to bolster its global expansion efforts. Furthermore, Tyson Foods and Protix have formed a joint venture to operate and construct an insect ingredient facility within the continental United States.
Once completed, this facility will be the first of its kind, equipped to transform food manufacturing byproducts into premium insect proteins and lipids on a large scale. These high-quality insect-derived components will predominantly find applications in the pet food, aquaculture, and livestock industries.
John R. Tyson, the Chief Financial Officer of Tyson Foods, emphasised the strategic importance of this partnership, stating, "Our collaboration with Protix represents the latest strategic investment by Tyson Foods in innovative solutions that bring added value to our business. The insect lifecycle presents the opportunity for complete circularity within our value chain, reinforcing our commitment to building a more sustainable food system for the future."
Kees Aarts, CEO of Protix, expressed enthusiasm about the international growth strategy, saying, "We are very excited to announce the next step in our international growth strategy. Tyson Foods' and Protix's strategic partnership advances our joint efforts in creating high-quality, more sustainable protein through innovative technology and solutions.
"Additionally, we can promptly use their existing byproducts as feedstock for our insects. This agreement marks a significant milestone for Protix and substantially accelerates our ambition to expand through international partnerships."
The forthcoming facility in the United States will be equipped with a closed-loop system to support all aspects of insect protein production, encompassing breeding, incubation, and the hatching of insect larvae. In addition to serving the aquaculture and pet food industries, processed larvae may also be incorporated as ingredients in livestock and plant feed.
Protix is a fully integrated insect ingredient company, with its Netherlands-based facility producing and processing 14,000 metric tonnes of insect larvae equivalents annually since 2019. It caters to major global companies in the pet food, aquaculture feed, livestock feed, and organic fertiliser sectors, aligning with the growing demand for insect-based ingredients.
Tyson Foods remains steadfast in its commitment to developing solutions that advance a more sustainable and equitable food system for future generations. To learn more about Tyson Foods' sustainability initiatives, you can visit their website at tysonfoods.com/sustainability.
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Source: Tyson Foods
