INNOPET 2.0: Moving towards a new generation of sustainable pet food

Following the successful completion of the INNOPET project at the end of 2025, INNOPET 2.0 is now being launched – a new phase designed to take protein innovation for pets to the next level. The objective is clear: to optimise the range of products developed in the previous phase and move towards their pre-industrial and commercial scaling.

Like its predecessor, this new initiative is funded by the Mondragon Group’s Science and Technology Plan 2024–2027, thereby consolidating the cooperative ecosystem’s commitment to seeking more sustainable, healthy and innovative food solutions.

From research to scale-up: a decisive step towards the market

INNOPET 2.0 focuses primarily on the industrial pre-scale-up of the formulations developed during the first phase of the project, a process that will take place at Ausolan’s facilities. This work will validate the production viability of the new pet foods and ensure their suitability for real-world industrial processes, an essential requirement for their future commercialisation.

During the first edition, INNOPET demonstrated the potential of alternative insect proteins, incorporating functional ingredients derived from Tenebrio molitor (mealworm) and Hermetia illucens (black soldier fly). Using flour fractions and enzymatic hydrolysates, prototypes of wet food for dogs and cats were developed, yielding promising results in terms of nutrition, stability, texture and sensory acceptance.

A collaboration to transform pet food

INNOPET 2.0 once again brings together key players in the food ecosystem. Eroski and Ausolan are driving the project, contributing distribution capacity and expertise in food production; and Leartiker is the technology partner specialised in the generation and transfer of scientific and technological knowledge.

Project managers for the Innopet project at Eroski, Ausolan and Leartiker.

This multidisciplinary collaboration enables us to tackle the challenge of providing pet food that not only meets nutritional and sensory needs, but also represents a real step forward in sustainability, production efficiency and environmental responsibility.

At Leartiker, we reaffirm our commitment to sustainable food through the development of new food products and nutritional reformulations for pets as well. Working together with stakeholders in the food ecosystem also enables us to drive transformative solutions such as INNOPET 2.0, through which we aim to change the way we understand and produce pet food.