Ÿnsect launches insect-based Sprÿng for pet food

France-based natural insect protein and fertilizer manufacturer, Ÿnsect has launched Sprÿng, a sustainable insect-based B2B2C brand for the pet food market.

Ÿnsect launches insect-based Sprÿng for pet foodŸnsect, the world leader in insect production, has announced the launch of Sprÿng, its new B2B2C brand for the pet food market. The brand features premium ingredients which combine scientifically proven benefits with a low environmental impact.

According to the company statement, Sprÿng offers easy-to-incorporate, neutral-tasting, odourless and light brown ingredients, designed with the needs of pet food manufacturers in mind. Made using the Molitor mealworm, the ingredients are natural, highly nutritional, and healthy, and can be used in the production of dry and wet pet food. The ingredients boast the highest protein content in the insect market (up to 71%), low ash content (less than 5%), and linolenic acids1.

Sprÿng embodies the company’s mission to revolutionise our food system, whether for humans or pets. It comes on the back of Ÿnsect’s recent announcement to reaffirm the pet food market as one of the pillars of its short-term development strategy, alongside the opening of Amiens, the world’s largest vertical farm which is preparing to make its first deliveries in 2023.

SPRŸNG HELPS REDUCE ENVIRONMENTAL FOOTPRINT
Sprÿng offers highly technical products to help reduce the environmental footprint of pet food.

Sprÿng has the concrete ambition to revolutionise the pet food market towards more sustainability. Compared to other ingredients with equivalent properties used in pet food, Sprÿng’s ingredients have a smaller environmental footprint.

“At Sprÿng, we raise mealworms to provide a new qualitative source of food for pets while limiting our impact. The contribution to climate change of one kilo of our Protein70 feed, for example, is seventeen times lower than that of beef offal, but also lower than that of chicken offal” explained Maximilien Jouy, Impact Manager Ÿnsect.

As the number of pets in the world continues to grow, especially in Europe2 and the United States3, pet owners are becoming increasingly demanding in order to satisfy the specific needs of their companions.

Our pets are an extension of our family and there is nothing more important than your family’s health and safety. With that in mind, we looked for a way to maximize your pet’s quality of life by creating Sprÿng. Our brand guarantees pet food manufacturers a sustainable option with the highest quality nutrition for their fur babies. It is the key to rebalancing our pet diets, providing nutrition, and protecting the environment,” said Benjamin Armenjon, PhD, General Manager for Animal Nutrition & Health at Ÿnsect.

INSECT-BASED PET FOOD HAS MORE THAN 50% ACCEPTANCE RATE
“More than just ingredients, Sprÿng wants to enlighten pet owners and embody a real choice in the way they consume for their companions. A choice without concession: quality without feeling guilty about its environmental footprint. Indeed, insect-based pet food has more than 50% acceptance rate among US pet owners according to Emerton Market research (vs. 36% in 2019), and the recent study we carried out with OnePoll also found that 83% of dog and cat owners in the USA would be willing to feed their pets with insect-based ingredients. These surveys show that interest in insect-based pet foods is growing rapidly,” said Alice Pabst Landon, Head of Marketing at Ÿnsect.

With Sprÿng, Ÿnsect intends to continue asserting itself as the leader in alternative proteins with health benefits and sources of performance, and thus rapidly increase its order book, which is currently estimated at more than $175 million in signed contracts and $1 billion in contracts under negotiation. The scale-up intends to rapidly gain a strong position in this market, which is estimated to be worth 78.4 billion dollars by 2026.

“Our mission with Ynsect has always been to create a natural, healthy and sustainable solution to combat world hunger. Sprÿng is the next evolution in bringing that mission into reality. This unique pet food provides our customers with a nutritious option for their pets that has the lowest environmental impact possible, something that has been unavailable before now,” remarked Antoine Hubert, CEO Ÿnsect.

1- Bosch, G.; Zhang, S.; Oonincx, D. G. A. B.; Hendriks, W. H. Protein Quality of Insects as Potential Ingredients for Dog and Cat Foods. J. nutr. sci. 2014, 3, e29. Rumpold, B. A.; Schlüter, O. K. Nutritional Composition and Safety Aspects of Edible Insects. Mol. Nutr. Food Res. 2013, 57 (5), 802–823. Lorrette, B.; Sanchez, L. New Lipid Sources in the Insect Industry, Regulatory Aspects and Applications. OCL 2022, 29, 22
 2- https://www.statista.com/statistics/515579/dog-population-europe/
 3- https://www.avma.org/blog/pet-populations-are-way
 4 – OnePoll carried out a nationally representative survey for Ÿnsect between 1st and 7th April 2022