Alternative Feed Protein Market Size, Share, Opportunities, And Trends By Type (Insect Protein, Soy Protein Concentrate, Soy Protein Isolate, Duckweed, Single Cell Protein, Others), By Animal (Swine, Poultry, Cattle, Others), And By Geography - Forecasts From 2023 To 2028

The alternative feed protein market size was valued at US$6.098 billion in 2021 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 39.11% to reach US$61.483 billion by 2028.  

Increased attention to lowering the overall cost of feed has encouraged the adoption of alternative protein sources for animal feed. In addition to foods created from plants like grains, legumes, and nuts, they include foods made from fungi, mushrooms, algae, and insects. Alternative feed proteins are advantageous to agricultural animals such as chickens, cattle, pigs, and others, as well as to the environment. The most promising types of alternative feed proteins are those derived from insects, legume seeds, oilseeds, and algae. These proteins are becoming more accessible with growing research. In order to reduce their costs, farmers are exploring for alternative feed protein sources. Due to a strong need for substitute feed protein ingredients with improved flavor and palatability, single-cell proteins made from yeast have become particularly popular.

The market for alternative feed proteins has been driven by increased public awareness of the advantages of alternative feed and rising initiatives by the government and corporate sector to promote alternative feed.

The increasing need for safe, nutritious, and effective protein components is a key factor in the rising acceptance of alternative feed protein products. Insects are good alternate sources of protein for animal feed since they require less area to breed. Further, they can be fed organic waste, which aids in reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the cattle industry. One of the factors driving the insects' demand in the alternative feed proteins market is their easy availability and lower price compared to other feed products. In addition, insect feed has a benefit as it can be combined easily with other feed ingredients, like crushed grains and soy, to create a mixture of the required components that is then pressed into pellets for easier and better animal feeding. In addition, a 2021 study discovered that 57% of all emissions from food production are caused by the usage of animals as food as well as livestock feed. In contrast, the study found that just 29% came from the production of plant-based diets.

Furthermore, severe guidelines that forbid the inclusion of animal proteins in food have been implemented in order primarily to lower the prevalence of bovine spongiform encephalopathy. These kinds of programs are expected to increase the supply of alternative proteins for cattle feed. Government funding and initiatives to support alternate feeds have also fueled the development of this market.

Key Developments

• Merit Functional Foods received a US$74 million grant from the Canadian government in June 2020 to produce animal protein alternatives. By the end of 2020, the company established a 94,000-square-foot production facility in Winnipeg, Canada.
• Insect protein company Ynsect partnered with Ardent Mills in the United States and in Mexico with Corporativo Kosmos for the establishment of production facilities in December 2022. Buffalo and molitor mealworms are processed into feed for animals by Ynsect, which has teamed up with Skretting, an aquaculture feed company owned by Nutreco. Ynsect specializes in salmon in the aquaculture feed industry but is keen to expand into other species like trout or shrimp in response to Skretting's demands. The collaboration announcements in the US and Mexico reflect Ynsect's goal of constructing 10 to 15 farms globally by 2030.
• Livalta, a division of AB-Agri that specializes in proteins, and Pond Technology Holdings partnered in May 2022 to develop the first CO2-based algae-based animal feed ingredient production that is economically viable. Through this collaboration, Pond's technology and Livalta's knowledge of novel proteins for animal feeds were combined. The first Livalta pilot plant was scheduled to be built by Pond at the British Sugar Wissington facility in Norfolk in 2022.

The Asia Pacific region accounts for a sizeable share of the global market for alternative feed proteins.

The Asia-Pacific market for alternative feed proteins is anticipated to expand as a result of technological developments in the animal feed industry, a rapidly expanding economy with a large population, and an abundance of raw resources such as cheap labour.

Additionally, the North American region holds a decent share of the market for alternative feed proteins attributed to environmental awareness and legitimate concerns related to livestock protein, a surge in the number of investment projects in alternative protein commodities, a rise in demand for nutritious and dietetic products, and technological breakthroughs in the meat industry.

Alternative Feed Protein Market Scope:

Key Market Segments

• By Type
  • Insect Protein
  • Soy protein Concentrate
  • Soy protein Isolate
  • Duckweed
  • Single Cell Protein
  • Others
• By Animal
  • Swine
  • Poultry
  • Cattle
  • Others
• By Geography
  • North America
    • USA
    • Canada
    • Mexico
  • South America
    • Brazil
    • Argentina
    • Others
  • Europe
    • Germany
    • France
    • United Kingdom
    • Spain
    • Others
  • Middle East And Africa
    • Saudi Arabia
    • UAE
    • Other
  • Asia Pacific
    • China
    • Japan
    • India
    • South Korea
    • Indonesia
    • Thailand
    • Veitnam
    • Others