Skretting Aquaculture Research Centre (ARC), the aquafeed giant’s global fish and shrimp R&D division, has been renamed and restructured into a multi-functional unit incorporating the global marketing, sustainability and digital teams, the company has confirmed.
Remaining headquartered in Stavanger, Norway, Skretting Aquaculture Innovation (AI) integrates everything from basic to applied research, to product development to digital innovation and sustainability, Skretting advised in a press release.
“What we have created is a completely dynamic approach towards innovation, where we don’t focus only on one aspect of innovation, for example ingredients, health, digital or only sustainability,” Skretting Innovation Director, Alex Obach, said. “We have put all of this together into an integrated and agile value centre, with our clients’ current and future needs at the core.
“We operate in a specific area of the aquaculture value chain, with great diversity in our clients, the species farmed and the ingredients available. However, there are innovation areas that add value across the board, including sustainability, life start, health, ingredients and more.”
According to Skretting, the innovation areas of Skretting AI are tightly matched with the global rise in seafood consumption, combined with the rise in conscious consumers.
The pandemic has highlighted the need for sustainable, healthy and local food and there is an expectation that companies will operate in a conscious, transparent and ethical way, it said.
“A Skretting-fed fish or shrimp matches these requirements,” Obach said. “We contribute to more than 21 million seafood meals every day – a big responsibility. We innovate to incorporate the needs of both our clients and the wider society.
“We believe that the biggest challenges facing aquaculture today are ingredients (availability, sustainability and logistics) health challenges and circularity. We have a clear roadmap to address these challenges, and a dynamic and dedicated team making it happen. We have a dual role to support the business with the challenges of today and our longer-term responsibility to bring innovative solutions for tomorrow to drive aquaculture into the future. These are exciting times for aquaculture innovation at Skretting,” Obach said.
