EcoD – Bringing new life to cod waste turning it into protein powder for human consumption

ended

With a global population growth from 7.3 billion to 9.7 billion by 2050, the protein demand is expected to double from the current 202 million tons/year. Protein sources are either animal- or plant-based and their production is depleting the environmental given their high water and land utilization as well as the large Green House Gas Emissions during production. Therefore, there is an urgent need for shifting the production of protein onto a more sustainable path. Iceland Protein (IS) is facing this challenge by developing EcoD, the first rich-protein powder for human consumption sourced from soft cod roes, a rest raw material (2% of cod volume) highly rich in essential and non-essential amino acids mainly discarded as food waste with only 8% utilized to produce low-value products not for human consumption. With EcoD we exploit fish waste, making it profitable and with a lesser impact on the environment adding value and turning it into a high-quality product for human consumption. Currently, most protein powders are sourced from cow’s milk protein such as whey and casein, eggs, or soy and peas. These products are banned for people with dietary restrictions (allergy and intolerance to dairy products, allergy to eggs or soy). EcoD is eligible this segment of people while providing the FAO/WHO recommended daily intake of essential amino acids and, in most cases, higher amino acid content than commercial alternatives. Furthermore, EcoD is especially beneficial for physically active individuals and elders thanks to its high glycine and arginine favoring muscle strengthening. Our product will be marketed via our well-established distributors and wholesalers (B2B) to bring EcoD until our targeted end-users. With this project (€1.5M additional investment) we seek to finalize the development of the EcoD and launch it across Europe by 2022 onwards, and later entering the US and Chinese markets. Doing it we will create 5 jobs and €7.5 M in revenues by 2026 (ROI 5. 5).