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InnovaFeed Breaks ground in Decatur

By Lindsay Romano Jan 10, 2023 | 5:21 PM

January 10, 2023 – French firm, InnovaFeed, broke ground Tuesday on what will become the world’s largest provider facility of insect protein.

InnovaFeed announced a strategic partnership with ADM in 2020 that will allow the facility to produce protein-rich feed, oils, and fertilizer through groundbreaking insect farming technology. The plant, which represents a 250 million dollar investment, will be located near the ADM plant in order to facilitate what InnovaFeed calls an “industrial symbiosis model” that will result in zero waste. This is accomplished by purchasing waste energy from ADM, piping the waste to the InnovaFeed plant, and then using that waste product to farm the insect proteins. Watch a video on the process HERE.

InnovaFeed plans to feed 10 billion people by 2050, either directly or indirectly through its production of animal and plant nutrition.

The target capacity for the Decatur plant will be around 60 thousand tons of protein, surpassing the company’s French plant capacity of 15 thousand tons, making Decatur’s plant the largest insect protein plant in the world.

In addition to the environmentally sustainable impact, the economic impact the plant will provide to the Decatur area. The plant will provide 280 direct jobs and at least 400 indirect jobs.

InnovaFeed anticipates the pilot facility will open late 2023 or early 2024.

“We are so excited that InnovaFeed is breaking ground today for many reasons,” said Nicole Bateman, President of the EDC of Decatur and Macon County. “Their story is one of not only innovation but sustainability and how a co-location model in their sustainable efforts can really be beneficial to a community and the development of future business efforts.”

We couldn’t be more proud to welcome InnovaFeed to Decatur,” said Decatur Mayor Julie Moore Wolfe. “We continue to attract innovative industries that fit perfectly within our community and also add to our ongoing revitalization efforts.”