People are not worried by the ingredients in salmon feed

The ingredients in the feed for Norwegian farmed salmon come almost exclusively from abroad.

Feed contributes to around 80 percent of the salmon's carbon footprint. To reduce the climate impact from feed production and ensure that the salmon is healthy and safe to eat, the government has set the goal of using more Norwegian raw ingredients in salmon feed.

– New raw ingredients must be used in addition to those used today, states NORCE researcher Vetle Kjær Risinggård who conducted the study.

Risinggård has conducted a survey through the Biosirkel project led by NORCE. He used the Norwegian Citizen Panel where he asked 2,337 Norwegians about their attitudes towards using bones, intestines, blood, and trimmings from pork, chicken, and salmon in salmon feed.

– People are not alarmed by what is put into the feed. Norwegian consumers are predominantly positive towards using such feed ingredients, but acceptance is lower for feeding salmon with salmon than for feeding salmon with pork or chicken, explains Risinggård.

People's attitudes towards aquaculture in general have a significant impact on their attitudes towards the use of animal by-products. Those who are positive about aquaculture are also positive about using by-products in the feed.

The aquaculture industry and feed producers have avoided using by-products from slaughterhouses in salmon feed, even though it has been legal in Norway for several years.

When Risinggård and colleagues in Biosirkel have had conversations with feed producers and aquaculture companies, they have said that consumers would not accept such ingredients and therefore fear for their reputation if they use them.

– Our study shows something different. We hope this will make the industry more confident in adopting new raw ingredients that can provide more sustainable feed in line with the political signals.

In 2024, Norway exported 994 thousand tons of salmon products, which is about 65% of production. While understanding Norwegians' attitudes towards salmon feed may be particularly relevant for the part of the production sold on the domestic market, it is important to note that consumer preferences and acceptance can vary significantly between markets for various reasons.

Norway has a national ambition for salmon production to grow up to 5 million tons by 2050. In 2024, the production of Norwegian farmed salmon reached 1.55 million tons.

Such growth in production will require up to 6 million tons of feed, according to studies. Sustainable feed is one of the government's societal missions where the goal is that all feed should come from sustainable raw ingredients by 2034. Today, imported soy from Brazil is the key ingredient in feed. In Norway, some aquaculture companies have started using chicken meal in feed, while in Canada and Chile, several by-products are used as feed ingredients.

– By-products are used in feed elsewhere in the world, and it is legal to do it in Norway as well. It will have a positive effect on the circular economy and the climate, so why don't we do it? This question is particularly interesting considering that sustainable feed is a political mission, says Risinggård.

994 thousand tons of the 1.55 million tons of Norwegian farmed salmon produced in 2024 were exported. While the understanding of Norwegians' attitudes towards salmon feed can be particularly relevant to the part of production sold in the domestic market, it is important to note that consumer preferences and acceptance can vary significantly between markets for various reasons.

– There is a lot of waste from chicken and pork slaughter in Norway, but if you compare it to the protein needs of salmon, it only covers 2 percent of the total need. This may be one of the reasons for the lack of willingness to invest in this.

Waste from salmon slaughter can cover a larger portion of the protein needs for salmon, but there are strict requirements for hydrolyzation to avoid cannibalism. This makes protein from salmon too expensive to use in salmon feed.

– More new feed raw materials than we have today need to be developed. The study shows that there is less skepticism among consumers than we thought. This is a positive signal both for slaughter waste and, for example, single-cell proteins and algae, concludes Risinggård.