Inghams backs Just Meat Protein with seed investment to unlock value from poultry protein innovation

Inghams Group has made a strategic seed-stage investment of A$1.05 million (approximately US$690,000) in Australian food technology start-up Just Meat Protein (JMP), securing a 10% shareholding in the business as it looks to expand into higher-value protein ingredients.

• Inghams has invested A$1.05 million (approximately US$690,000) for a 10% stake in Just Meat Protein
• JMP holds the exclusive worldwide licence to commercialize CSIRO-developed hydrolyzed poultry protein technology
• The deal includes an exclusive first-right supply arrangement for Inghams across Australia

The investment gives Inghams an early position in a company commercializing hydrolyzed poultry protein technology developed by Australia's national science agency, CSIRO. JMP holds the exclusive global licence for the technology, which converts chicken meat into premium powdered protein ingredients for applications including sports nutrition, functional foods and specialized nutrition.

As part of the agreement, Caroline Hayes, Chief Growth Officer at Inghams, will join the JMP board. Inghams has also secured an exclusive first-right supply arrangement with the company across Australia.

The partnership reflects Inghams' strategy of extracting greater value from every bird it processes by moving into higher-margin ingredient categories beyond traditional poultry products.

JMP's proprietary process produces protein powders aimed at rapidly growing nutrition markets. According to Inghams' own research, the global sports nutrition market alone is valued at around US$27 billion, with further opportunities in aged care nutrition, meal replacements, protein-fortified mainstream foods, and specialist applications including military and space nutrition.

Ed Alexander, CEO and Managing Director of Inghams, said: "The investment in Just Meat Protein is precisely the kind of innovation-led, high-value adjacency we have been looking to establish and is strongly aligned to our strategy to maximise the value we generate from every bird we process. The investment allows us to secure an early and strategically advantaged position in a category we believe has significant growth ahead of it."

For JMP, the investment provides both financial backing and access to one of Australia's largest poultry producers as it prepares to commercialize the technology.

Ellie Whelan, CEO & Co-Founder of Just Meat Protein, said: "A growing population, the rapid rise in GLP-1 use, and the shift towards more conscious consumers are all feeding a huge growth in demand for new protein sources. For us here at Just Meat Protein, to be able to solve for this problem through targeting low-value cuts is not only a commercial win, but a positive shift towards a more sustainable food system. We're excited to take this world-first technology to market with the support of our seed investors, including Inghams Group."

The announcement highlights growing interest in technologies that create higher-value ingredients from existing animal protein supply chains, with hydrolyzed protein ingredients increasingly finding applications in performance nutrition, healthy aging and fortified food products.