US food tech company Benson Hill Inc and the Denmark-based BioMar Group have begun a strategic collaboration to advance BioMar’s responsible sourcing programme by leveraging Benson Hill soy and further assessing its sustainability impact on high-performance aquafeed formulations.
Aquaculture feed company BioMar is sourcing consecutive seasons of Benson Hill ingredients as part of its commitment to build restorative soy supply chains.
With feed being the primary cost in aquaculture and also the major contributor to the industry’s carbon footprint, Benson Hill is looking to advance 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 Benson Hill’s ingredients can reduce the impact of aquaculture farming for BioMar’s customers.
BioMar has made a commitment to reduce the impacts of its feeds, 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 US farmer network, and ability to trace back to seed make them an ideal collaborator.”
The companies expect the 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.
“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,” Benson Hill CEO Matt 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 the use of one of the biggest contributors of carbon emissions in that supply chain. Stewarding our planetary resources is essential on the journey to accelerate transformation in the global aquaculture industry.”
