PARIS — On Feb. 26, Innovafeed unveiled its new brand — Hilucia™ — to provide a complete range of high-quality, insect-based ingredients for use in animal nutrition, as well as plant nutrition, with minimal impact on the environment. Hilucia offers a range of products produced from Hermetia illucens (black soldier fly) larvae, also called BSFL.

According to Innovafeed, demand for insect-based ingredients has risen due to increasing consumer concern for the environment. In pet food, the United States currently uses more than 4 million tonnes of animal-derived ingredients to produce dry and wet formulas, according to the Pet Food Institute. Through its BSFL ingredients, Innovafeed is hoping to help the pet food industry reduce its reliance on animal-derived ingredients and advance sustainability.

Hilucia will offer four products for pet food, animal feed, aquaculture and agriculture markets.

“Enhanced and expanded with two new products — Protein for Monogastrics and Oil for Aqua — the Hilucia range reaffirms Innovafeed’s anchoring and leadership in its four main markets: pets (Hilucia for pets), livestock (Hilucia for monogastrics), aquaculture (Hilucia for aqua), and agriculture (Hilucia for plants),” said Elizaveta Le Floch, chief business officer of Innovafeed.

These ingredients aim to meet growing demand for high-quality food products. For example, according to Innovafeed, global demand for proteins is set to increase 40% by 2030. Additionally, a life cycle analysis completed on the Hilucia ingredient range found that the ingredients generate at least 50% fewer carbon emissions compared to commonly used plant- and animal-derived proteins, oils and fertilizers, while also boasting a lower impact on biodiversity, land usage and water consumption.

Source: Innovafeed

Hilucia combines the upcycling capabilities of BSFL with Innovafeed’s cutting-edge technology to help the company accelerate production and sales, which more than doubled in 2023, according to Innovafeed.

BSFL transforms low-value, plant-based raw materials into high-quality nutrients with extreme efficiency, according to Innovafeed, relying on 1.5 kg of dry feed to created 1 kg of body mass in 15 days. Leveraging this ability, Innovafeed created an “industrial symbiosis” model, maximizing the productivity of the BSFL by clustering and connecting insect rearing facilities to reduce overall environmental impact, transportation needs and production costs.

According to Innovafeed, the new brand represents a culmination of several years of development and is supported by four fundamentals: partnerships, sustainability, nutrition and quality. Innovafeed has established several strategic partnerships, including with Cargill for applications in aquaculture, ADM for applications in pet food, and Hello Nature for applications in agriculture. According to the company, these partnerships have ensured its strong momentum throughout markets in France and across the globe.

The new BSFL ingredient brand also further advances Innovafeed’s dedication to sustainability. The company became accredited as a B Corp in 2022, released its first Impact Report in January 2024, and became a certified member of the Pet Sustainability Coalition just this month.

Arch Pet Food’s Super Future Formula is formulated with Innovafeed’s Hilucia ingredient for pets, reducing Arch’s environmental impact.

| Source: Arch Pet Food

Through Hilucia, Innovafeed offers its customers an identifiable brand associated with quality and sustainability. The company provides a “Powered by Hilucia” logo for use on product packaging, which was recently included on Arch Pet Food’s first complete-and-balanced dog food — Super Future Formula.

“Partnering with Innovafeed marks a significant milestone in our journey to redefine pet nutrition,” said Gabriel Huertas del Pino, co-founder and chief executive officer of Arch Pet Food. “We’re thrilled to embark on this partnership, and the Hilucia brand aligns perfectly with our commitment to excellence, sustainability and innovation in the pet food industry. We’re proud to display the label and story directly to our customers on-pack in our new Smart Future Formula. Together, we’re setting new standards for what pet owners can expect, bringing a new era of quality, trust and transparency to the table.”

Read more about insect-based ingredients and trends in pet food.