Product
We continuously seek to improve the aqua feeds we sell. Our foundation of research and development enables us to enhance the performance and environmental impact of our existing aqua feeds through feed formulation, raw material sourcing, and feed production, while also working to unlock a range of new products and services for our customers.
“Delivering more sustainable aquaculture starts with how we formulate and deliver nutrition. At Cargill, we combine advanced data, deep research, and innovation in our raw material basket to help farmers achieve strong performance while lowering the carbon footprint of feed. By expanding circular and lower-impact ingredients, we are supporting the next generation of salmon farming.”
Tarjei Eide
Managing Director, Cargill Animal Nutrition & Health, Salmon North Sea & Canada
Product highlights from 2025
Supporting salmon health in Norway’s closed farming systems
Closed salmon farming systems are increasingly being adopted and prioritized in Norway, due to regulatory changes and continued biological pressures like sea lice. These farm systems – some based on land, some in the ocean – are isolated from external marine environments and allow for greater control of a range of factors affecting fish health and performance. But because they are closed, they also have unique considerations for water quality, feed performance, and waste management.
To support our customers using these closed farm systems, we worked closely with a few select customers over the past few years to understand their needs and develop suitable feed solutions. The result is a specialized feed solution newly launched in early 2026. This product leans on Cargill’s global feed formulation expertise to help operators of closed salmon farm systems maintain high water quality through waste stability while also providing essential nutrients and tailored micronutrition to support fish performance in a cost-effective way.
Select customers in Norway are already using this specialized feed. With closed farming systems projected to add significant numbers of salmon in the years ahead, Cargill will help operators of these systems support fish health and vital biological processes.
Better environmental conditions in shrimp ponds
Shrimp farmers are seeking feed solutions that maximize nutrient retention for shrimp. This supports animal performance and health while also reducing nutrient accumulation in shrimp ponds, which can lead to negative environmental impacts like increased algal bloom and bacteria. To address this need, we launched ADAPT Low Impact feed in Ecuador, the latest product in the ADAPT lineup under our AQUAXCEL® brand. Field trials have shown that ADAPT Low Impact can increase nutrient retention by up to 30% compared to other standard feeds on the market. It’s another way that our products are improving environmental outcomes without sacrificing animal performance.
FIPs: Developing a supply of more sustainable marine ingredients
With time-bound commitments to achieve third-party seafood certifications and mechanisms to verify progress along the way, credible Fishery Improvement Projects (FIPs) help fisheries transition to more sustainable and responsible practices. Our engagement with FIPs aims to reduce overfishing and supports the effort to ensure a steady supply of more sustainably produced marine ingredients for our feeds.
In 2025, we celebrated the completion of the FIP off the coast of Ecuador, which reached completion when the fishery was approved for MarinTrust certification. This combined with the newly registered FIP in Oman – where we conducted a workshop with stakeholders in early 2026 – is helping develop a reliable supply of more sustainably sourced marine ingredients for the future.
| Ecuador | ||
| Peru |
Product data for 2025
*Country of origin is known, but as many countries transgress multiple fishing areas, the Major Fishing Area is not always definable.
*Our designation of ingredients as co-products follows the guidance of the European Feed Manufacturers' Federation (https://fefac.eu/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/05362_co-products_brochure_003.pdf)
**Novel ingredients are defined as ingredients introduced to the formulation from 2015 onwards
***Note: countries supplying less than 1% of the category total are not listed, except for "soy proteins", "soy oil" and "palm oil" where all origins are listed.
The table reflects the different nutritional requirements between coldwater and warmwater species in the varying raw material compositions. Soy and soy derivates remain the single biggest individual plant protein, especially in warmwater feeds. Overall, marine ingredients remained important during 2025 with similar inclusion rates as in 2024. There was less market interest in novel ingredients, which led to a slight decrease in their inclusion compared to 2024. Co-products made up 47.5% of our coldwater feeds and 60.8% of warmwater feeds, reinforcing that circularity remains an important aspect of our sourcing strategy.
All species <1% of the total or otherwise not identified will be consolidated into the "Miscellaneous species" category. All countries of origin for all species are listed.
*Fish hydrolysates and press cakes are included in fishmeal use
**Forage fish and trimmings products from facilities processing a variety of fish, typically a selection from various species, but the breakdown of the inputs is not known.
***The raw material is a blend from different origins.
Marine ingredient indices calculations
MPDR feed = (total fishmeal% * 68%) / 17.5%
MODR feed = (total fish oil% + (total fishmeal% * 8%))/ 17.5%
MPDR fish = (total fishmeal%)* 68% * eFCR / 17.5%
MODR fish = (total fish oil% + (total fishmeal% * 8%)) * eFCR / 17.5%
FFDRm feed (coldwater) = (forage fishmeal in feed %) / 24% c
FFDRm feed (warmwater) = (forage fishmeal in feed % ) / 22.2% d
FFDRo feed = (forage fish oil in feed %) / 5% e
FFDRm (coldwater) = (forage fishmeal in feed % * eFCR) / 24% c
FFDRm (warmwater) = (forage fishmeal in feed % * eFCR) / 22.2% d
FFDRo = (forage fish oil in feed % * eFCR) / 5% e
FFIF = (forage fishmeal% + forage fish oil%) / (yield of fishmeal + yield of fish oil)
FIFO = (forage fishmeal% + forage fish oil%) * eFCR / (yield of fishmeal + yield of fish oil)
a Estimated average global eFCR for salmonids based on in-house data, MOWI Salmon Farming Industry Handbook (2023), Tacon et al. (2022), and Seafood Watch farmed salmon assessments (2021).
b Estimated average global eFCR for warmwater species based on in-house data, Tacon et al. (2022), and value for P. vannamei in the ASC Shrimp Standard v1.1 (2019)
c Estimated average fishmeal yield based on Péron et al. (2010) and its use in the ASC Salmon Standard v1.3 (2019). Actual FFDRm can be considerably lower if actual oil yields are applied for each species used.
d Estimated average fishmeal yield based on the ASC Shrimp Standard v1.1 (2019). Actual FFDRm can be considerably lower if actual oil yields are applied for each species used.
e Estimated average fish oil yield based on ASC’s allowance for 5% or 7% oil yields depending on the source of the oil, but to be conservative in this report, the lower yield has been used in this calculation. Actual FFDRo can be considerably lower if actual oil yields are applied for each species used.
*Data before 2024 was rounded to 2 decimals.
The Marine Protein Dependency Ratio (MPDR) feed decreased slightly, which is explained by a lower fishmeal inclusion rate compared to 2024. The Marine Oil Dependency Ratio (MODR) feed increased slightly in coldwater feed compared to the previous year due to a higher fish oil inclusion rate. The FFDRm in coldwater increased slightly due to a higher inclusion rate of fishmeal from forage fish compared to 2024. A reduction in FFDRo can be explained by an increased inclusion rate of fish oil from trimmings. The FIFO in our coldwater feeds increased from 0.739 in 2024 to 0.762 in 2025. In warmwater feeds, both the FFDRm and FFDRo increased compared to 2024. This is explained by higher inclusion rates for both fishmeal and fish oil. As a result, the FIFO for warmwater feeds increased from 0.117 in 2024 to 0.186 in 2025.
*Data before 2024 was rounded to one or two decimals.
This year, an increasing focus on health and welfare drove a corresponding rise in functional During 2025, an increasing focus on health and welfare continued to drive a corresponding rise in functional feed sales in warmwater feed. Meanwhile, there was a significant reduction in sales of coldwater feeds to support fish health. Sea lice remained a challenge for salmon farmers, especially in Chile and Canada, which led to an increased customer demand for anti-parasitic feeds. However, this was more than offset by declining sales of anti-parasitic feed in Scotland and Norway during 2025. Bacterial pathogens proved to be challenging in Chile as well, which is reflected in the year-on-year increase in sales of feed including antibiotics. The large percentage increase in Scotland and Canada compared to 2020 is due to a very low baseline volume.
* n/a indicates no use of soy or palm oil products in 2024 by this business group
**US Soy Export Council - US Soy Sustainability Assurance Protocol, Caramuru Sustentar and Cargill Triple S are recognized according to FEFAC's soy-sourcing guidelines (and therefore also accepted by Cargill).
***Organic third-party certifications are Soil association and Naturland
In coldwater feeds, more than 96% of our marine ingredients originating from forage fisheries were certified or from a FIP in 2025. This was due to a higher availability of MarinTrust- and MSC-certified raw materials in the market. In marine ingredients for warmwater feeds, we were also able to source more certified trimmings from skipjack and yellowfin tuna. For terrestrial ingredients, Norway, Scotland, Canada, and Chile all sourced 100% certified soy products. No palm oil was used in any coldwater feed in 2025.
a Some countries have more than one facility and not all facilities are certified to the same level within a country.
b Scotland is certified by UFAS, which is recognized as equivalent to Global GAP.
