Winners of F3 Challenge announced at GOAL

The winners of the Future of Fish Feed Challenge: Carnivore Edition contest were announced 5 October at the Global Seafood Alliance 2022 GOAL conference in Seattle, Washington, U.S.A.

Three animal feed manufacturers, Star Milling Co, Empagran, and Jiangsu Fuhai Biotech Co., each won USD 100,000 (EUR 101,000) for creating and then selling the highest quantity of “fish-free” feed, which had to omit wild-caught fish or marine life ingredients.

The challenge was created to spark development innovation of aquaculture feeds that don't use fishmeal and fish oil.

“We congratulate all the contestants who rose to the challenge despite all the recent adversity and supply chain disruptions,” University of Arizona Professor and F3 Chair Kevin Fitzsimmons said at the announcement ceremony. “Their hard work and flexibility paid off.”

Perris, California, U.S.A.-based Star Milling Co. won for its non-GMO, plant-based rainbow trout feed with omega-3 DHA-rich algae and heart-healthy flax oil.

Guayaquil, Ecuador-based Empagran won for its vegetarian Pacific white shrimp feed recipe, which uses Veramaris’ algal oil filled with EPA and DHA omegas.

Jiangyin, Jiangsu, China-based Fuhai Biotech won for its largemouth bass feed made with dehulled full-fat soybean fermented with microbes and enzymes.

The next F3 Challenge will take place in 2023 and will focus on palatants, food coatings that enhance the palatability of feed.

Image courtesy of F3