Available from the fish stalls, the “insect fed” trout is distributed in 52 Auchan stores in the North of France region with the objective of extending the initiative to all their supermarkets in France by the end of 2019
PROMOTING SUSTAINABLE AND NATURAL AQUACULTURE
In the context of a fast-growing world population and fish consumption increasing globally, aquaculture enables a reduction of pressure on wild fish stocks. This booming industry must, however, face a major challenge: The availability of natural and high-quality protein that meets the nutritional requirements for fish. Insects can be one of the solutions!
For several years, Auchan has been committed to a sustainable management of oceanic resources (the retailer stopped offering certain endangered fish species, in favor of the reproduction of other species…). The launch of this new « insect fed » trout is totally aligned with the brand’s overall strategy and promotes the development of a sustainable French aquaculture. Furthermore, this solution is 100% natural as trout partially feed on insects in the wild and they love it!
“INSECT FED”: A NEW STAMP OF QUALITY FOR FISH EATERS
The trademark « insect fed » applies to farmed fish which respect two criteria:
• The fish were fed with a feed for which a minimum 50% of the fish meal has been replaced by insect protein (the feed fed to Auchan’s “insect fed” trout contains 8% insect),
• The fish have at a minimum doubled in weight during the phase they have been feed with an insect protein based feed.
Auchan is communicating in their stores around this new “insect fed” trout product line with posters and a distinctive logo to inform customers.
A LOCAL INITIATIVE,WITH A GLOBAL IMPACT
Auchan has selected to kick-off this effort with trout, an emblematic fish for French aquaculture. The outcome is the result of the collaboration and ambitious technical efforts invested by all the actors of the value chain which have worked together over the past two years to enable the integration of insect protein in fish feed and guarantee optimal quality for customers. The insect producer (InnovaFeed), the fish farmer (Truite Service), and Auchan France all worked hand in hand to enable the success of this pioneering initiative. All the partners of the project being located in the North of France, this initiative was driven by actors at a local scale. The project however will have a global impact to build a more sustainable aquaculture.
