Illinois welcomes world’s largest insect innovation center to Decatur

DECATUR, Ill. (WTVO) — Innovafeed, a French agriculture technology firm, partnered with ADM to create the world’s largest insect innovation center in Decatur.

It will be devoted to breeding insects to provide protein for animal feeds and pet foods. Soon the center will be buzzing with flies, surrounding agricultural by-products from ADM, in indoor farms.

The process will yield new insect ingredients which will provide protein for animals and plants.

The CEO of Innovafeed said that Decatur was the perfect spot for the innovation center.

“We chose Decatur for our first U.S. operation because of its location in the heart of the Midwest corn belt and its proximity to our partner ADM and other agribusiness leaders. ADM’s corn by-products are a rich resource that we will leverage to fuel our black soldier fly production.

“At the same time, this circular process will present a tangible solution to contribute to our Mission and the US Department of Energy’s objectives of decarbonizing the industrial sector,” says Clément Ray, CEO of Innovafeed

Innovafeed said they are proudly a part of a local ecosystem of industrial projects in Decatur that are poised to create future-focused jobs and help solidify the region as a catalyst for local economic growth and innovation.

“As the project expands, we believe Innovafeed can benefit from a strongly qualified local workforce, as well as contribute to developing new skills specific to our innovative industry.

“Furthermore, we envision Decatur as a promising hub for innovation with many opportunities for collaboration between Innovafeed and the neighboring projects that have recently been announced in the area,” says Maye Walraven, US General Manager for Innovafeed.

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