Salmon feed: What does Norwegian farmed salmon eat?

As global food systems face increasing pressure from population growth, climate constraints and resource competition, the question is no longer whether aquaculture should contribute more — but how it can do so responsibly. Choosing feed that is composed of quality ingredients is part of this.

Feed content, efficiency and production

Farmed salmon needs a diet of fat, proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals.

Atlantic salmon farming is widely recognized as a resource-efficient form of animal protein production. At the same time, the sector’s long-term legitimacy and ability to grow depend on continuous improvements in key upstream inputs — above all, feed.

Feed is where biology, sustainability, innovation and supply chain responsibility converge. For stakeholders across retail, food service, regulators, and public institutions, understanding feed development is therefore essential to understanding the future trajectory of salmon farming.

Norway is widely regarded as a leading nation in aquaculture and seafood governance, and remains committed to developing sustainable, science-based feed solutions that support both fish welfare and long-term resource stewardship.

What does salmon feed contain?

The use of feed ingredients in Europe is governed by strict food and feed safety legislation, including requirements for traceability, quality assurance and responsible sourcing.

Modern salmon feed is formulated to meet the fish’s nutritional requirements throughout the production cycle. These needs vary significantly between early life stages and grow-out phases, and feed formulations are adjusted accordingly.

Over the past ten years, there has been a shift in the fish diet towards a feed that is about 75 percent plant based. The last 25 percent is marine based. This reflects both ecological realities and the need for long-term resource efficiency.

While exact formulations vary between producers, life stages and nutritional strategies, modern salmon feed is generally based on a balanced mix of six main ingredient categories.

Fish oil and fish meal in salmon feed

Marine oils are one of the six main ingredient categories in modern salmon feed and generally make up around 5–15% of grow-out feed.

However, marine proteins remain an important part of salmon feed and typically account for around 10–15% of grow-out feed.

An average feed for salmon consists of approximately 25% marine raw materials. Marine raw materials can be fish meal, fish oil or fish trimmings.

Feed development is shaped in part by access to essential omega-3 fatty acids such as EPA and DHA. This is one of the long-term constraints influencing fish health, nutritional value, production efficiency, and the sustainability footprint of aquaculture.

This means that the suppliers to the Norwegian feed producers must verify that fishmeal and fish oil are certified to the MarinTrust standard (including Marine Stewardship Council certification), or that they are participating in an improvement project to become MarinTrust certified.

Over the years, feed based on fish oil and fish meal has increasingly been replaced by plant-based raw ingredients, such as rapeseed oil and soy.

The transition from fish meal and fish oil to more vegetable feed has affected the nutritional content of farmed salmon, resulting in lower levels of Omega 3, selenium and vitamin D.

Farmed salmon still has a high content of important nutrients and is still an important source of Omega-3.

At the same time, feed development is also shaped by the need for high-performing protein sources that can replace fishmeal where appropriate.

Improved resource efficiency through by-products

Thanks to efficiency gains, 1 kg of marine raw material produces approximately 5 kg of farmed fish.

Aquaculture has expanded rapidly without increasing pressure on fisheries for marine ingredients. The volume of whole fish used to produce fishmeal, and fish oil has declined, and the share of capture fisheries used for this purpose has fallen significantly since the 1990s.

According to The Marine Ingredients Organisation (IFFO), about 20% of total capture production is used for fishmeal and fish oil, down from a peak of roughly 32%.

Since the mid-2000s, annual production has remained stable at around 5 million tonnes of fishmeal and 1 million tonnes of fish oil.

This stability reflects better fisheries management and greater efficiency. Marine ingredients are therefore part of an increasingly efficient, well-managed value chain rather than a driver of overfishing.

The IFFO report highlights the growing use of by-products in marine ingredient production. In 2024, 42% of the raw material used for marine ingredient production came from by-products sources of fish processed for human consumption. This represents a 100% increase since 1990.

The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2026 report can be found here.

Vegetable ingredients in salmon feed

Plant-based ingredients currently constitute around 75 per cent of fish feed. The vegetable ingredients are derived from plants like soy, sunflowers, rapeseed, corn, beans and wheat.

Plant-based ingredients are a central part of modern salmon feed. Plant-based proteins may account for approximately 30–40% of feed, while plant-based oils often make up around 15–25%.

This development reflects the need for long-term resource efficiency and a broader, more diversified raw material base.

The vegetable ingredients are derived from plants like soy, sunflowers, rapeseed, corn, beans and wheat.

Plant raw materials can have a high climate footprint if they are grown in deforested areas, but soy from Brazil used in the Norwegian aquaculture industry comes from a 100 percent deforestation-free value chain and has a lower climate footprint than, for example, fishmeal.

Read more about the EU rules to reduce deforestation on the Norwegian government’s website.

Norwegian regulations and control for salmon feed

Norway is committed to sustainable aquaculture and works with developing feed solutions that combine scientific innovation, high regulatory standards and long-term environmental responsibility.

Importantly, the inclusion of ingredients in salmon feed takes place within well-established European food and feed safety regulations, with strong requirements for traceability, quality control, and responsible sourcing.

While feed ingredients must support salmon health, growth and welfare, their production must also be based on sound sustainability principles and have the lowest possible climate footprint.

The Norwegian authorities are now tightening regulations to strengthen the circular economy. By 2034, all feed used in Norwegian aquaculture must originate from sustainable sources.

You can read more about aquaculture management in general here.

Yearly analysis of fish feed and ingredients

The use of feed ingredients in Europe is governed by strict food and feed safety legislation, including requirements for traceability, quality assurance, and responsible sourcing.

When used under strict regulatory frameworks, feed ingredients must meet strong requirements for control and governance.

Read more about animal feed and food safety regulations from the EU here.

On behalf of the Norwegian Food Safety Authority, the Institute of Marine Research (IMR) monitors fish feed yearly, looking for substances such as dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs, heavy metals, pesticides and brominated flame retardants. 

In 2025, the Institute of Marine Research received 88 samples of fish feeds, 9 fish meals, 10 fish oils, 20 plant meals, 10 plant oils, 8 mineral premixes, 7 vitamin premixes, 6 insect meals, and 4 “alternative feed materials” from commercial production facilities in Norway.

The results show no exceedances of established maximum levels for undesirable substances in complete feed or feed materials.  

Read the full report here.

You can read more about the monitoring of Norwegian farmed salmon and unwanted substances here. 

Salmon feed and sustainability

Aquatic food systems (or "blue foods") is now recognized as a critical, low-emission solution for global climate mitigation, adaptation, and food security.

At the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, aquatic food systems (or "blue foods") were formally recognized as a critical, low-emission solution for global climate mitigation, adaptation, and food security.

160 Nations, including Norway, declared their intent to work collaboratively and expeditiously to pursue a shift from higher greenhouse gas-emitting practices to more sustainable production and consumption approaches, including by reducing food loss and waste and promoting sustainable aquatic blue foods.

The aquaculture industry is therefore expected to play a growing role in supplying healthy, low-carbon food from the ocean. However, this growth is conditional.

The sector cannot expand sustainably without increasing the use of new, responsibly sourced feed ingredients.

Future feed development therefore includes a gradual increase in novel and circular raw materials. This is not a short-term shift, but part of a long-term transition toward a broader portfolio of sustainable raw materials.

A key driver in feed innovation is the need for high-performing protein sources that are sustainable, available at scale, and do not increase pressure on limited marine resources.

Poultry by-products are an example of a circular raw material: They utilize parts of the animal that are not consumed directly by humans and would otherwise have limited value or be wasted.

New raw materials and proteins in salmon feed

Salmon feed is evolving because aquaculture is growing globally, while access to certain traditional marine raw materials is limited. Sustainable growth requires a broader range of responsibly sourced ingredients.

Climate change, reduced fishing quotas, and a turbulent global situation are limiting access to established marine and plant-based raw materials.

To reduce pressure on vulnerable marine resources and agricultural land, Norwegian feed companies are seeking new ingredients that are both sustainable and sufficiently nutritious for salmon.

Feed development is driven by nutritional science and sustainability objectives. New ingredients are introduced to maintain fish health, welfare and performance. 

Fish feed contains carbohydrates and binders, as well as essential micro-ingredients like vitamins and minerals.

These are necessary for nutritional completeness and are adjusted according to the fish’s needs through the production cycle.

Future feed development includes a gradual increase in novel and circular raw materials, including microbial proteins, hydrolysates from seafood side streams, algae-based oils, insect-derived ingredients — and animal by-products from poultry.

This is part of a long-term transition toward a broader portfolio of sustainable raw materials.

When used under strict regulatory frameworks, such ingredients can contribute to:

• Better overall resource efficiency in food systems
• Reduced waste and improved circularity
• Stable access to high-quality protein for aquaculture feeds
• Lower reliance on finite marine protein sources 

Feed development is shaped by two long-term constraints:

• Access to essential omega-3 fatty acids (EPA/DHA)
• Access to high-performing protein sources that can replace fishmeal where appropriate

These are strategic supply questions that influence fish health, nutritional value, production efficiency, and the sustainability footprint of aquaculture.

Feed is the most important factor in salmon farming. It directly affects:

• Biological outcomes
• Resource efficiency
• Environmental footprint

For B2B and public-sector stakeholders, sustainable feed is therefore best understood as a cornerstone of responsible aquaculture.

Innovating fish feed: Raw Materials Promise

In December 2020, the collaboration platform “Raw Materials Promise” (Norwegian) was established to accelerate the phasing-in of new and sustainable raw materials for fish feed.

The goal is to contribute to major cuts in greenhouse gas emissions, create new Norwegian jobs and further develop the aquaculture industry.

Researchers are now working hard to find new, more sustainable protein sources for use in fish feed. Insects, algae, and wood chips are some of the raw materials tested for use in fish feed.

Poultry by-products are an example of a circular raw material: They utilize parts of the animal that are not consumed directly by humans and would otherwise have limited value or be wasted.