Tyson Foods has made a strategic investment in Protix, a company specializing in insect-based protein, and is gearing up to establish a collaborative U.S. production facility, primarily focused on catering to the pet food market.
The American-based meat industry leader refrained from revealing the exact percentage of the minority stake it acquired in Protix, a Netherlands-based company that specializes in insect-derived ingredients. Protix provides these ingredients not only for pet food but also for use in animal and fish feed applications.
Tyson Foods and Protix have formed a collaborative endeavor to set up and manage a facility producing insect-based ingredients. The location of this facility will be in the “continental United States,” as stated by the owner of the Jimmy Dean and Hillshire Farm brands in an official statement.
The financial terms were not revealed.
Tyson Foods said, “The strategic investment will support the growth of the emerging 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.”
Situated in Dongen, a town in the southern region of the Netherlands, Protix established its local operation in 2019. Using the liquid-to-liquid extraction (LLE) method, they process 14,000 metric tons annually. The company serves worldwide enterprises engaged in pet food, aquaculture feed, livestock feed, and organic fertilizer production.
John Tyson, Tyson Foods’ CFO, said, “Our partnership with Protix represents the latest strategic investment by Tyson Foods in ground-breaking solutions that drive added value to Tyson Foods’ business.
“The insect lifecycle provides the opportunity for full circularity within our value chain, strengthening our commitment to building a more sustainable food system for the future.”
Tyson Foods stated that its investment will contribute to funding Protix’s worldwide expansion and the growth of insect-based ingredient production.
The human meat major added with respect to the planned factory, “Upon completion, it will be the first at-scale facility of its kind to upcycle food manufacturing by-products into high-quality insect proteins and lipids, which will primarily be used in the pet food, aquaculture and livestock industries.”
The focus will encompass all stages of production, ranging from breeding and incubation to the hatching of insect larvae.
Kees Aarts, the CEO of Protix, added, “We are very excited to announce the next step in our international growth strategy. Tyson Foods’ and Protix’s strategic partnership advances our joint work towards creating high-quality, more sustainable protein using innovative technology and solutions.
“This agreement is a major milestone for Protix and significantly accelerates our ambition to grow through international partnerships.”
