BioMar, Innovafeed, and Auchan have announced a partnership to introduce insect protein into commercial shrimp feed in Ecuador. The announcement was made at the Global Shrimp Forum and marks an effort to use insect meal as a functional ingredient in aquaculture.
Insect meal contains nutrients such as antimicrobial peptides. Research from BioMar has shown that these properties can provide unique benefits when used in shrimp feeds. This allows insect meal to be considered for use alongside other ingredients currently used in aquaculture feed.
The companies believe this development could allow insect meal to become more competitive within the protein ingredient market over time. For now, it is positioned as a functional ingredient with potential for further scaling.
Auchan will support the initiative by including shrimp raised on this new feed as part of its responsible sourcing strategy and product offerings.
Clément Ray, CEO and Co-founder of Innovafeed, and Elizaveta Le Floch, Chief Business Officer stated: “This partnership is a defining moment not just for Innovafeed, but for the entire insect and aquaculture industries. By combining our technology with BioMar’s aquafeed expertise and Auchan’s retail leadership, we’re proving that sustainable shrimp farming can be scaled, economically viable, and consumer-ready.”
Henrik Aarestrup, VP LATAM, Shrimp & Hatchery at BioMar Group added: “In BioMar we believe in the sustainable future of the aquaculture industry and alternative ingredients like insect meal play a vital role in this. Working together with Auchan and Innovafeed we have established a viable commercial model for insect meal. It was important to design a scalable model that leveraged the unique functional benefits of black soldier fly in shrimp diets. Any shrimp farmer purchasing BioMar feeds from Ecuador can leverage this commercial opportunity.”
Laurent Francony, Group CSR Executive Director at Auchan Retail commented: “We are committed to responsible sourcing and see this partnership as a tangible step toward better food for our customers and the planet. Supporting more sustainable aquaculture practices through our shrimp supply chains is perfectly aligned with our long-term vision.”
Innovafeed specializes in producing insects such as Hermetia illucens (Black Soldier Fly) for animal and plant nutrition using industrial-scale technologies designed to mimic natural resource conversion processes.
BioMar produces aquaculture feed globally across 17 facilities serving more than 90 countries since its founding by Danish trout farmers in 1962. The company is owned by Schouw & Co., which is listed on NASDAQ Copenhagen.
Auchan Retail operates nearly 2,900 points of sale across 12 countries through various formats including hypermarkets, supermarkets, convenience stores, click-and-collect services, and e-commerce platforms.