Interview

Karim Kurmaly is Chief Executive Officer of Veramaris. Karim was with DSM for 16 years, most recently as Vice President Animal Nutrition & Health for the Asia Pacific and India region. He is a marine scientist who holds a PhD from the University of Wales.

INTERVIEW with Karim Kurmaly

AQ: What has been Veramaris' journey in the feed industry?

KK: Veramaris® is borne out of technology discovered over 35 years ago by NASA scientists who were asked to solve the challenge of growing food in space, where sustainability is a matter of survival. They discovered algae that produced high levels of omega-3, essential nutrients for life. This breakthrough led to the production of Veramaris’ algal oil as we know it today, the next-generation algal oil. It provides a rich source of both EPA and DHA omega-3 with a potency of 60%, the richest available on the market.

The company was founded in 2018 by two of the world’s largest science and chemicals companies, DSM and Evonik, as a joint venture. They recognized the potential for Veramaris’ algal oil technology to provide solutions to the challenges faced by the aquaculture industry including sustainable growth, fish health and human health. Thirty-five years of R&D have made us experts in algal technology.

Since the company’s inception, Veramaris has won the Future of Fish Feed Challenge for sales of its omega3 algal oil. We have also become the first microalgae oil producer to achieve joint ASC-MSC certification, adding

an estimated 45% to the global supply of MSC certified EPA & DHA omega-3, and tripled production at our zero-carbon manufacturing plant in 2020.

AQ: Veramaris oil is currently being used in salmon and trout feeds, but what are the perspectives on its utilization in other aquaculture species?

KK: Veramaris is utilizing technology to optimally increase levels of both EPA and DHA omega-3 fatty acids in feed to ensure farmers can secure fish health and welfare, and deliver a quality product that is nutritiously rich in omega-3 to end consumers.

Veramaris has the ability to substitute and ultimately replace fish oil for a variety of aquaculture species. Today, our algal oil is used to raise salmon, shrimp, trout, steelhead trout, yellowtail, largemouth bass, seabream and seabass. And there are many more possibilities on the horizon. There are also shrimp that are entirely raised on Veramaris algal oil – a “vegetarian shrimp” – with zero fishmeal and zero fish oil.

As it stands, by using Veramaris EPA and DHA omega-3 algal oil in the salmon industry alone, aquaculture will be able to reach its target of becoming a net producer of fish – a substantial sustainability milestone for the industry.

AQ: With your facility in Nebraska, USA, Veramaris has the capacity to meet 15% of the global omega-3 fatty acid demand for salmon aquaculture. Does the company have new investments scheduled?

KK: Our $200 million state-of-the-art facility in Nebraska is run on renewable energy, produces zero waste and consistently delivers a highly potent natural marine algal oil that contains the same high levels of both EPA and DHA omega-3 - 24/7, 365 days a year. In 2020, production tripled. Using the F3’s own forage fish calculator, the use of Veramaris algae oil saved more than 8 billion forage fish from use in aquaculture feed.

Our capacity to cover 15% of the global salmon industry’s annual demand of omega-3 is equivalent to the amount of EPA and DHA omega-3 derived from 1.2 million tons of wild-caught fish. To put this into perspective the annual wild catch of the Mediterranean Sea is 0.8 million tons.

Our international R&D team is continually increasing the already high levels of both EPA and DHA omega-3 by improving yields, enhancing the fatty acid profile, and increasing output to even higher levels. In fact, our algal oil is richer than ever before, with a potency level of 60% compared to 50% previously. Our algal pioneers have a reputation today which is unmatched.

AQ: Veramaris oil became the first microalgae oil producer for feed to achieve joint ASC-MSC certification. What is the expected impact of this certification?

KK: Being recognized as the first and only microalgae oil producer for feed to achieve joint ASC-MSC certification is a significant achievement for Veramaris and a genuine testament to the strength of our team. Importantly, the certification adds an estimated 45% more MSC-certified EPA and DHA omega-3 to global supply, supporting the industry to grow within planetary boundaries.

The impact of ASC-MSC certification extends throughout the value chain reaching retailers, consumers, feed millers and fish farmers.

Retailers are under intense scrutiny not just from customers but from shareholders and NGOs who are reviewing retail ownership of feed ingredients used in animal production. We know that large European retailers are concerned about the quality of feed ingredients and certification means that retailers can now demonstrate their commitment to responsible sourcing in a tangible way. We also know that food safety is a critical factor for consumers when making

Our international R&D team is continually increasing the already high levels of both EPA and DHA omega-3 by improving yields, enhancing the fatty acid profile, and increasing output to even higher levels. In fact, our algal oil is richer than ever before, with a potency level of 60% compared to 50% previously.

In 2020, production tripled. Using the F3’s own forage fish calculator, the use of Veramaris algae oil saved more than 8 billion forage fish from use in aquaculture feed.

seafood purchasing decisions and that consumers are putting pressure on retailers.

Feed millers can now produce feed not only with the highest levels of both EPA and DHA omega-3 but also with an ingredient that is ASC-MSC certified. Farmers know they can produce healthy fish, with the higher levels of EPA and DHA omega-3 resulting in secure fish health and welfare, and a more robust fish.

Ultimately, ASC-MSC certification results in tangible benefits for all stakeholders along the value chain allowing the industry to grow sustainably.

AQ: Veramaris partnered with several retail groups in different countries to deliver Veramaris-fed salmon and trout. How are retailers and the foodservice sector perceiving Veramaris oil?

KK: Today’s retailers are under severe public scrutiny to drive change throughout their food supply chains. We now see retailers taking accountability for the feed ingredients they use while consumers are asking more about the provenance of the food they consume. Veramaris offers many of the answers that retailers and consumers have been searching for, particularly around sustainability, fish health and human health. For example, salmon fed on Veramaris’ natural marine algal oil delivers the highest levels of EPA and DHA omega-3 in salmon fillets, levels not seen in decades. Consequently, it also offers the highest standards in fish health and food safety.

Veramaris’ value chain approach has resulted in meaningful collaborations with retailers around the world providing Veramaris-fed salmon and trout, naturally rich in sustainable EPA and DHA omega-3, to consumers. Large European grocery retailers are already marketing substantial volumes of fish and supporting the use of algae-based feed in aquaculture.

French retailer Supermarché Match achieved over 12% category growth in its salmon category, following the introduction of salmon from Norwegian farmers Lingalaks and Lerøy, raised on a diet including Veramaris’ algal oil. Veramarisfed salmon is also on sale in European retailers including Cora, Auchan and Kaufland, as well as US retailers such as King’s Food, Baldacci’s and online retailer KnowSeafood.

AQ: Veramaris won F3 Challenge in 2019. How do we grow aquaculture sustainably?

KK: Feed ingredient suppliers and indeed the aquaculture industry as a whole face a common challenge: to help the industry grow within planetary boundaries while protecting fish health and human health. To quantify the challenge, 45 million MT of extra feed is required to feed the growing population. So, how do we grow aquaculture sustainably, meeting a growing demand?

Veramaris’ technology allows farmers to optimally and consistently maintain levels of both EPA and DHA omega-3 fatty acids in feed to secure fish health and welfare, and deliver a quality product that is nutritiously rich in omega 3 to end consumers. Scientific research shows that high levels of EPA and DHA omega-3 in feed improves fillet quality and provides a high level of omega-3 in the fillet. And all this can be done without increasing FFDRoil or dependency on wild catch fish.

Feed millers can now produce feed with the highest levels of both EPA and DHA omega-3. Because of the very high potency of our algal oil of over 60%, low volumes need to be transported across oceans and less tank space and extra handling is required.

Retailers are facing increasing pressure from consumers, stakeholders and NGOs on fish health responsible sourcing and are now beginning to ask for sustainable, EPA and DHA omega-3 rich seafood.

Our purpose is to expand the world’s access to sustainable and consistently EPA and DHA omega3 from natural marine algae, which allows us to contribute towards the continued sustainable growth of aquaculture, within planetary boundaries. Today, we see industry leaders using Veramaris natural marine algal oil because it’s a sustainable and affordable source of natural algal omega-3.

AQ: And finally, where would you like to see the aquaculture feed business in 10 years?

KK: Currently, three billion people worldwide rely on seafood as their main source of protein and aquaculture will need to increase production by 30-40 million tons by 2030 to keep up with the current rate of consumption. In 2020, 22 million tons of fish production were used for fishmeal and fish oil for the aquaculture industry. This has led to stocks of wild-captured forage fish, such as anchovies, herrings and sardines, being fished close to the maximum yield. It has also led to a decline in omega-3 levels in fish.

This is clearly unsustainable and will not meet the demand of our growing population, which is expected to reach 9.7 billion by 2050. Only aquaculture can fill the gap, yet the constraint to the growth of aquaculture is the industry’s reliance on marine ingredients used in the feed. This is why we are helping reduce aquaculture’s reliance on marine resources with technology like Veramaris® and nutritional solutions that enable sustainable aquaculture.

Veramaris expands the world’s access to certified EPA and DHA omega-3 by 45%. Both fish and humans need a reliable source of both EPA and DHA omega-3 for optimum health and Veramaris’ natural marine algal oil provides a consistently rich source of both these essential nutrients compared to fish oil. Fish oil alone cannot provide fish and humans with the required levels of both EPA and DHA omega-3.

A successful future is about collaboration. And, as an industry, we must work together to increase levels of EPA and DHA omega-3 that we see in feed, fish and fillets. By doing so, we can continue to deliver on the brand promise to our consumers, and raise fish that provides answers and do not raise questions.

Today, we see industry leaders using Veramaris natural marine algal oil because it’s sustainable and an affordable source of natural algal omega-3. Ultimately, our mission is to increase the world’s access to EPA and DHA omega-3, and in ten years, I hope we are well on our way to achieving our goals.

CLEAN FEED. CLEAN WATER.

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