Tyson Foods, one of the world’s largest food companies, has secured a double deal with Protix, a leading producer of insects protein As part of the agreement, Tyson Foods will acquire a minority stake in Protix through a direct equity investment, facilitating the funding of Protix’s global expansion initiatives. Additionally, the two companies have entered into a joint venture to operate and construct a pioneering insect ingredient facility in the continental United States.
Upon completion, the facility is poised to be the first at-scale operation of its kind, focusing on upcycling food manufacturing byproducts into high-quality insect proteins and lipids. These insect-derived products will find applications primarily in the pet food, aquaculture, and livestock industries.
John R Tyson, Chief Financial Officer of Tyson Foods, highlighted the strategic importance of the partnership, stating, “Our partnership with Protix represents the latest strategic investment by Tyson Foods in groundbreaking 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.”
Protix’s CEO, Kees Aarts, expressed enthusiasm about the collaboration, emphasizing its role in advancing sustainable protein production. Aarts said, “Tyson Foods’ and Protix’s strategic partnership advances our joint work towards creating high-quality, more sustainable protein using innovative technology and solutions. Moreover, we can immediately use their existing byproducts as feedstock for our insects. This agreement is a major milestone for Protix and significantly accelerates our ambition to grow through international partnerships.”
The forthcoming U.S. facility is designed to incorporate an enclosed system supporting all stages of insect protein production, including breeding, incubation, and hatching of insect larvae. The processed larvae will serve as essential ingredients for the aquaculture and pet food industries, with potential applications in livestock and plant feed.
Protix, currently producing and processing 14,000 tonnes annually in its Netherlands facility since 2019, serves major global companies in pet food, aquaculture feed, livestock feed, and organic fertilizer industries. The partnership reflects a strategic response to the growing demand for sustainable insect-derived ingredients.
