Tyson Foods and Protix, a leading global insect ingredients company, have entered into a joint venture agreement to build and operate a U.S. insect ingredient production facility. The site will be the first at-scale facility of its kind, upcycling food manufacturing byproducts as feed for black soldier flies that, in turn, will be bred and processed into high-quality insect proteins and lipids used primarily in the pet food, aquaculture, and livestock industries.
The facility will house an enclosed system to support all aspects of insect protein production, including the breeding of the insects, as well as the incubation and hatching of the larvae.
Tyson Foods also has entered into a strategic investment agreement with Prolix, which will support the growth of the insect ingredient industry and expand the use of insect ingredient solutions to create more efficient, sustainable proteins and lipids for use in the global food system.
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“The insect lifecycle provides the opportunity for full circularity within our value chain,” says Tyson Foods CFO John R. Tyson, “strengthening our commitment to building a more sustainable food system for the future.”
“Tyson Foods’ and Protix’s strategic partnership advances our joint work towards creating high-quality, more sustainable protein using innovative technology and solutions,” explains Kees Aarts, CEO of Protix. “Moreover, we can immediately use their existing byproducts as feedstock for our insects. This agreement is a major milestone for Protix and significantly accelerates our ambition to grow through international partnerships.”
Based in the Netherlands, Protix operates the first-in-the-world industrial insect facility, with breeding, rearing, and processing under one roof.
