April 26, 2024

 

Innovafeed opens Insect Innovation Center in Illinois, US

 

 

Innovafeed, a global leader in the production of insect ingredients for high-quality animal feed, inaugurated its North American Insect Innovation Center (NAIIC) in Decatur, Illinois, the United States, on April 18.

 

The pilot plant is the first step of the French agtech company's industrial expansion to North America and aims to scale up production and commercialisation of insect protein in the US.

 

Innovafeed breeds Hermetia illucens, also known as black soldier flies, in state-of-the-art indoor farms, while efficiently repurposing agricultural by-products from its strategic partner, ADM, in a pioneering zero-waste framework. This innovative process yields insect meal, oil and soil amendment, which Innovafeed markets under the brand Hilucia™.

 

The inauguration of NAIIC will be a milestone in Innovafeed's expansion in North America, the company said. The choice of Decatur is not coincidental: located in the heart of the corn belt adjacent to ADM's North American headquarters and the world's largest corn mill operations, with hundreds of processing plants across multiple US states, the region offers high potential for multiple sites to be deployed in the future. The broader area is also a historical innovation hub for the agro-industry, making it a strategic location for Innovafeed to serve its core markets.

 

In 2023, Innovafeed, in partnership with ADM, commercialised Hilucia™ insect ingredients for the pet food market in North America. As part of this effort, ADM has invested in a comprehensive R&D study at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, with results to be released later this year demonstrating the nutritional and health benefits of its ingredients.

 

Future opportunities with other types of animal feed are also being explored as part of the comprehensive partnership between the two companies.

 

"We are thrilled to partner with Innovafeed on this exciting project that highlights our commitment to responsible and sustainable sourcing," said ADM senior vice president and president of the company's Carbohydrate Solutions business, Chris Cuddy. "Our collaboration is a great example of how we are constantly seeking innovative solutions to meet the growing demand for alternative protein sources in animal and pet products. By expanding our value chain and offering collaboration opportunities to leading, innovative partners, we are positioning ADM as the provider of choice for responsible, sustainable materials across the food, beverage, feed, fuel, consumer product and industrial spaces. We are proud to be a part of this job-creating project and look forward to the positive impact it will have on our communities."

 

A pipeline will connect the plant to the ADM's corn processing wet mill, allowing it to directly recover up to 300,000 tonnes per year of by-products. These by-products will be transformed into high-quality insect ingredients producing up to 60,000 metric tons of animal feed protein derived from Hermetia Illucens.

 

Additionally, it will generate 20,000 metric tons of oils for poultry and swine rations each year, along with 400,000 metric tons of soil amendment.  In Decatur, the planned large-scale manufacturing facility will replicate an industrial symbiosis model pioneered by Innovafeed in France. A comprehensive life cycle analysis (LCA) is still to be conducted at the NAIIC.

 

"We chose Decatur for our first US operation because of its location in the heart of the Midwest corn belt and its proximity to our partner ADM and other agribusiness leaders," said Clément Ray, chief executive officer of Innovafeed.

"ADM's corn by-products are a rich resource that we will leverage to fuel our black soldier fly production. At the same time, this circular process will present a tangible solution to contribute to our mission and the US Department of Energy's objectives of decarbonising the industrial sector."

 

According to Innovafeed, the plant is part of a local ecosystem of industrial projects in Decatur that are poised to create future-focused jobs and help solidify the region as a catalyst for local economic growth and innovation.

 

"As the project expands, we believe Innovafeed can benefit from a strongly qualified local workforce, as well as contribute to developing new skills specific to our innovative industry," said Maye Walraven, US general manager at Innovafeed. "Furthermore, we envision Decatur as a promising hub for innovation with many opportunities for collaboration between Innovafeed and the neighboring projects that have recently been announced in the area."

- Innovafeed