EIT Food and Mars Petcare launch Open Innovation Challenge for sustainable pet food ingredients
In a bid to enhance sustainability in the pet food industry, EIT Food has partnered with Mars Petcare to seek innovative solutions for transforming agricultural byproducts into nutritious pet food ingredients. The challenge aims to convert indigestible fibres into proteins and sugars, in an effort to advance the use of waste materials in pet nutrition.
EIT Food, Europe’s foremost food innovation initiative, has joined forces with global pet care leader Mars Petcare to address a significant challenge in sustainable pet food production. The partnership has announced an Open Innovation Challenge, calling upon food industry experts, startups, research institutions, and universities to develop methods for transforming agricultural byproducts into digestible, nutritious ingredients for pet food.
The challenge focuses on converting indigestible fibre fractions from agricultural processing waste, such as straw from crop harvesting and vegetable peelings, into materials that can be effectively digested by cats and dogs. This initiative represents a significant step towards more sustainable pet food production and offers a unique opportunity for agrifood stakeholders to contribute to this growing sector.
Unlocking the potential of agricultural byproducts
Agricultural byproducts often contain high-quality proteins but are limited in their use for pet food due to high levels of indigestible fibres. The challenge seeks to overcome this limitation by developing innovative processes to transform these fibres into digestible nutrients.
Benoit Buntinx, Director of Business Creation at EIT Food, elaborated on the challenge’s significance: “Agricultural byproducts often comprise of high-quality proteins but come with high levels of insoluble fibres that limit usage in pet food due to being difficult for pets to digest. Transforming the insoluble fibre fractions into materials that can be effectively digested in the gut of a dog or cat would allow the usage of what would otherwise be a waste material as a valuable and more sustainable option for pet food.”
This approach not only addresses the issue of agricultural waste but also has the potential to create more sustainable and nutritious pet food options.
Collaborative innovation in the pet food industry
The partnership between EIT Food and Mars Petcare represents a strategic approach to innovation in the pet food sector. By leveraging EIT Food’s extensive network and Mars Petcare’s industry expertise, the challenge aims to accelerate the development and implementation of sustainable solutions.
Michael Horan, Global S&T Platform Leader Material Science at Mars Petcare, expressed enthusiasm for the collaboration: “This Open Innovation Challenge with EIT Food represents a significant step forward in our mission to drive more sustainable food solutions for pets. We believe that we have a lot to offer when it comes to open innovation approaches and are excited to tap into this using the ecosystem and know-how of EIT Food.”
Opportunities for innovators
The Open Innovation Challenge presents a unique opportunity for organisations at the forefront of food science and technology to collaborate with a global leader in pet care. The initiative offers the potential for rapid scaling of successful innovations.
Selection process and support
Following the application period, the top 10 solutions will be invited to participate in a virtual demo day. Up to two finalists will receive support from Mars Petcare to develop a joint Proof of Concept (PoC).
This support from a major industry player could prove invaluable for startups and research teams looking to bring their innovations to market.
Application details
The challenge is open to a wide range of participants, including startups, academic institutions, research institutes, and established organisations. Interested parties have until 22 September 2024, 23:59 CEST, to submit their applications through the official EIT Food website –
https://www.eitfood.eu/open-calls/fibre-valorisation-for-pet-food
