EU-Startups says the need to identify alternative, sustainable sources of protein in animal feed was recognised by both the European Union and the United Nations as vital some years ago. Covid-19, global food security issues and climate change have made the matter urgent.
More than 33% of global arable land is used to produce feed for livestock. Replacing plant-based protein with insect protein allows agricultural land to be used for growing food for humans. Legislative support in 2017 for insect protein in aquaculture led to a 40% increase in investments in the industry the following year. In Europe, aquaculture accounts for about 20% of fish production and directly employs 70,000 people. The sector is mainly composed of small business or micro-enterprises in coastal and rural areas.
Innovafeed is a scaleup producing proteins for animal feed and aquaculture founded in 2016 by Aude Guo, Bastien Oggeri, Clement Ray and Guillaume Gras, in Northern France.
The company has received €56.8 million in funding so far including a grant issued by the EU’s Horizon 2020 scheme for small and medium-sized businesses. EU-Startups sat down with Aude Guo to discuss her story as a female founder, the role startups like Innovafeed play, and the food challenges faced today.
Read the interview with Aude Guo here…
