Norwegian salmon sales and marketing consortium Salmon Group has signed an exclusive agreement with insect protein producer Metapod to develop a new protein source for salmon feed -- grasshoppers.

Norway-based Metapod kicked off its pilot production facility in 2019. Now the company's aim is scaling up production and becoming the largest supplier for insect protein in Northern Europe by 2023.

Resource management is key for Metapod's production of insect meal from grasshoppers and crickets, which can compete with soy and fishmeal.

"The way Metapod thinks resource management is completely in line with our sustainability work in practice, and does not seize resources or land that could have been used for other food production for humans or animals," Salmon Group Purchasing and Feed Manager Nils Inge Hitland said.

The grasshoppers are fed with leftovers from bread and brewery production, which would otherwise go to waste.

"It is important to quickly find good, smart and lasting solutions to climate and environmental challenges that ensure that resources remain in the economy for as long as possible," Hitland said.

"Not least, this can contribute to solutions that can be used globally and ensure food security."

Salmon Group announced Jan Olav Langeland was taking over as CEO of the group in March.

Langeland takes over from Anne-Kristine Oen, who was named the Norwegian Seafood Council envoy to the United States in February.

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Are grasshoppers the future of salmon feed? Norway's Salmon Group thinks so