Innovators urged to take up sustainable feed challenge
Entrepreneurs eager to commercialise their ideas for sustainable aquafeed innovations have been invited to apply to a programme that offers rare access to markets.
The goal of the FEED-X Challenge is to ensure that the global feed industry can produce enough food to support the growing world population by shifting 10% of global feed production to sustainable sourcing from novel alternative solutions by 2025.
FEED-X will focus on salmon and shrimp, two aquaculture species with wholly different feed requirements and industry structures.
Aquaculture feed manufacturer Skretting is the lead partner in the programme, which is part of the World Wide Fund for Nature’s (WWF) Project X Global enterprise.
Accelerate innovation
Strategic and financial support has also come from European climate innovation initiative Climate-KIC and Swedish furniture and food retailer IKEA, and technical support from UNEPOne Planet and Cambridge University.
IKEA sustainability developer Christoph Mathiesen said: “IKEA Food is committed to securing a more sustainable supply chain for our food business. We know that animal feed such as salmon feed can have negative impact on the climate, environment and biodiversity.
“We see the collaboration with Project X as a great opportunity to support sustainable food systems and accelerate the innovation in animal feed.”
Commercialise at scale
The FEED-X programme aims to achieve its goal through sourcing, testing, financing and scaling alternative feed ingredients and technologies that affect feed.
According to the organisers, the co-ordinated approach between organisations in the FEED-X programme will give entrepreneurs rare access to markets and allow them to commercialise their outstanding sustainable alternative feed solutions at scale.
Innovators must fill in an Expression of Interest form – found here – by May 10, after which they will be provided with the application form. The applications will then be independently reviewed by an expert panel including high-profile individuals from a range of sectors.
