Agrifirm and insect ingredient leader Protix have taken another step towards a circular food system. Following the announcement of the collaboration in November 2018, parties now have started blending in insect lipids in chicken diets.
Proposition
The collaboration with Protix results in the launch of various new formulas using insect based ingredients at Agrifirm. “Due to the unique and outstanding quality of the insect fat LipidX by Protix we have been able to identify various opportunities, for example in our poultry diets”, according to Dick Hordijk, CEO of Agrifirm. “Functionally we expect several interesting propositions to be launched in the coming period but the potential to drive down the footprint of our feed production has already led us to include a substantial amount of LipidX in our poultry feed solutions. The biggest advantage that we see? This fat has a 50-70% lower carbon footprint that palm fat, the regular fat base. Besides that, it is produced using organic residual streams of the food sector, making it a prime example of a high value circular raw material”.
These kind of steps are the hardest for us as we deal with both the technical aspects and the concepts towards our customers. However, we see an increase in demand for circular solutions and we decided now is the time to step in. The consumers of the future demand us to go beyond the obvious and therefore we need to take daring steps. That’s why we have started to blend in this great and exciting new product”.
‘Zero-footprint food’
Today’s unprecedented times painfully reveal the urgency to restore the balance with nature. Sustainable ingredients play an important role in this. “Sustainability is no longer a buzzword and no business or government can afford to sit and wait”, according to Kees Aarts, founder and CEO of Protix. “At Protix we were born from sustainability and after 10 years we see bold actions like these popping up everywhere. We believe the step made by Agrifirm is a great sign for the industry but also a very smart step forwards. Sustainability ís the economy and our road to zero-footprint foods will enable us to shift towards a bright future again. The planet is in a hurry and steps like these will answer to that.”
