Human food in transition

Since 2020, sales of vegetable-based foods in Europe increased by 22%. The food transition is well underway. If in developed countries this leads to a voluntary introduction of vegetable proteins in the diet, for health reasons or environmental awareness, in developing countries with growing populations it would be crucial to meet the need for meat in the human diet and therefore feed more animals.

Avril is preparing for the challenges of a growing world population and its consequences in terms of oil and vegetable protein needs for human consumption and livestock nutrition. With one observation: the by-product from rapeseed or sunflower seed, once
the oil is extracted, provides a material that is very rich in protein, yet is little used or marketed. Avril is thus committed to discovering its potential to better feed people.

A partnership was initiated with the Reactions and Process Engineering Laboratory (LRGP) of the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS ) in Nancy to begin three doctoral theses devoted to the extraction of rapeseed and sunflower proteins for
human nutrition. This academic research enables the Group to address the corresponding technical issues, in order to establish an industrial and commercial strategy. At the same time, the Dutch industrialist DSM, the world leader in ingredients, files patents
relating to the processing of rapeseed protein.

Avril then proposed to DSM a partnership to build a European venture to industrialize the extraction of rapeseed protein for human consumption. The partnership was announced in 2020, and construction work began on a long-standing Saipol site in
Dieppe in the Seine Maritime. The plant went into production in 2022, with DSM henceforth marketing ingredients for human consumption. A world first.