Tyson Foods Makes Significant Investment in Insect Ingredients Company Protix

Oct. 18, 2023

Tyson acquired a minority stake in the Netherlands-based company, and the two will enter into a joint venture to construct a facility in the U.S. for pet, livestock and aquaculture feeds.

Andy Hanacek

Tyson Foods announced it has agreed to a two-fold investment in global insect ingredients company Protix, out of the Netherlands. The investment, Tyson says, will support the growth of the emerging insect ingredient industry and expand the use of those solutions to create more sustainable supply of proteins and lipids for the global food system, according to a release from the company.

A direct-equity investment will give Tyson a minority stake in Protix, while a joint venture between the companies will allow for the operation and construction of an insect ingredient facility in the continental U.S.

Once built, it will be the first at-scale facility of its kind to upcycle food manufacturing byproducts into high-quality insect proteins and lipids. The U.S. facility is expected to house an enclosed system that will breed, incubate and hatch insect larvae, which will act as ingredients for the pet food, aquaculture and livestock industries.

Protix produces and processes 14,000 metric tons LLE annually at its Netherlands facility, which has been in operation since 2019.

About the Author

Andy Hanacek | Senior Editor

Andy Hanacek has covered meat, poultry, bakery and snack foods as a B2B editor for nearly 20 years, and has toured hundreds of processing plants and food companies, sharing stories of innovation and technological advancement throughout the food supply chain. In 2018, he won a Folio:Eddie Award for his unique "From the Editor's Desk" video blogs, and he has brought home additional awards from Folio and ASBPE over the years. In addition, Hanacek led the Meat Industry Hall of Fame for several years and was vice president of communications for We R Food Safety, a food safety software and consulting company.