Biomar, Benson Hill form sustainable aquaculture feed solutions partnership

A new collaboration has been announced between Biomar and Benson Hill.

Aarhus, Denmark-headquartered aquaculture feed supplier Biomar has announced a partnership with St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.A.-based food tech firm Benson Hill to develop more-sustainable sources of soy protein for aquafeed.

The partnership will see Biomar source consecutive seasons of Benson Hill soy ingredients through Denofa, a provider of non-GMO soy supply chains, which is managing sales and distribution of Benson Hill’s aquafeed portfolio in Northern Europe. Benson Hill and Denofa announced a strategic alliance in April 2022 to introduce sustainable soy protein ingredients into the Northern European aquaculture feed market.

“BioMar has made a commitment to reduce the impacts of our feeds, and 97 percent of the carbon footprint comes from the feed ingredients,” Biomar Global Sourcing Director Morten Holdorff Møjbæk said. “With our exit last year from the Russian raw material market, it was important for us to find suppliers committed to working with us to ensure we deliver on our responsible sourcing ambitions. Benson Hill’s closed-loop business model, robust U.S. farmer network, and ability to trace back to seed make them an ideal collaborator.”

As part of the Biomar-Benson Hill partnership, the two firms will jointly assess the sustainability impact of using Benson Hill soy ingredients in high-performance aquafeed formulations.

“Feed holds the primary cost in the farming of aquaculture and is the major contributor to its carbon footprint. Benson Hill advances sustainability goals throughout the ingredient development process – from monitoring regenerative and deforestation-free practices on the farm to producing ingredients that reduce water and energy-intensive protein concentrating steps in processing. Together, the companies are assessing how the advantages of Benson Hill ingredients advance BioMar’s sustainability program and reduce the impact of aquaculture farming for BioMar customers,” they said in a joint statement. “The companies expect this collaboration to demonstrate that reducing carbon emissions in the world’s fastest-growing protein sector and meeting market demands for traceability can be achieved at the same time.”

Benson Hill CEO Matt Crisp said the use of sustainably-sourced soy ingredients in aquafeed can alleviate some of the pressure on wild stocks caught for use in fishmeal and lower aquaculture’s carbon footprint.

“By working with a global leader like BioMar, we can help accelerate ongoing efforts in the industry to stand up fully deforestation-free supply chains and decrease the carbon footprint of products consumers love,” Crisp said. “Through this joint effort, Benson Hill and BioMar will be able to further research how high-protein, low-oligosaccharide, plant-based ingredients perform in aquaculture feed at scale, and potentially slash carbon emissions in that supply chain. Stewarding our planetary resources is essential on the journey to accelerate transformation in the global aquaculture industry.”

In February 2022, Benson Hill reached an agreement with Riverence, the leading trout farmer in the United States, to provide it with proprietary soy-based ingredients to be incorporated into aquafeed manufactured by Riverence's supplier, Rangen, a brand of Wilbur-Ellis Nutrition.

Photo courtesy of Biomar

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