Swedish rainbow trout fed with "future feed" made with no marine ingredients.
Photo: Älvdalslax
A Swedish collaboration between researchers, companies and fish farmers has produced what it claims to be the world’s first commercially-available fish raised on feed containing mycoprotein, alongside insects and mussels.
The "future feed"-raised rainbow trout is the result of an initiative aiming to reduce environmental impact of aquaculture and livestock feed by replacing conventional feed ingredients, such as imported soy and fishmeal from wild-caught fish, with protein sources derived from local waste streams.
The "Feed of the Future for Fish, Pigs, Poultry and Laying Hens" project is led by non-profit group Axfoundation and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), with 25 partners involved across the supply chain.
"This is the first time consumers can buy fish raised on feed containing mycoprotein," the partners said, in a press release announcing the initiative.
According to the organisations behind the work, the new approach demonstrates that feed can be produced at industrial scale using byproducts from Sweden’s forests, oceans and food industry.
“Together we have proven that it is possible to produce feed at industrial scale using Swedish side streams, reducing environmental impact and strengthening national food security, without compromising animal health or taste. This is the beginning of a major transition," said Christian Sjöland, Project Manager at Axfoundation.
Swedish family-run fish farming business Älvdalslax.
Photo: Anders Kiessling / Älvdalslax
The first product to reach consumers through the project will be rainbow trout farmed by Swedish family-run fish farming business Älvdalslax, using feed containing mycoprotein, insects reared on food waste, and Baltic Sea mussels.
These ingredients, the project partners say, are intended to create a circular system that reduces reliance on imported feed while lowering greenhouse gas emissions and land use - with feed currently accounting for up to 92% of the climate impact of farmed rainbow trout, according to cited figures.
“Circular feed solutions for farmed fish perform just as well as conventional feeds," said Professor Anders Kiessling of SLU. "The feed contains ingredients more natural for fish to eat, which benefits fish health, the environment, and the quality of the final product. The hope is to see equally good results for pigs and poultry.”
The fish have been tested in aquaculture trials in Älvdalen, Sweden, while similar trials for pigs, poultry and egg-laying hens are planned for 2025 and 2026. Sensory tests carried out by Örebro University’s School of Hospitality, Culinary Arts and Meal Science found that the taste of the new fish matched that of conventionally fed fish, the project partners reported.
Älvdalslax CEO Anders Beronius said: “From a taste perspective we are very satisfied and customer demand is already strong. As fish farmers, it is meaningful to contribute to a solution that works for both us and the environment.”
The rainbow trout, sold under the brand Framtidens Fisk (“Fish of the Future”), will be available in September 2025 through Swedish retailers including Hemköp and Urban Deli, as well as through distributor Fiskhallen Sorunda for the food service sector. Products from pigs, poultry and laying hens fed with the new circular feed are expected to follow later in 2025 and 2026.
