1 year Piglet’s Flavorit: has it changed the way we think about piglet feed forever?

In the world of pig husbandry, innovation is the key to ensuring happy, healthy, and productive animals. One such innovation that has been making waves is Piglet’s Flavorit: a groundbreaking feed intake concept for piglets that was launched by Earlyfeed in September 2022. As Piglet’s Flavorit celebrates its first anniversary, it’s time to delve into the significance of this concept, its impact on pig production, and the journey of the team in bringing this game-changing idea to fruition.

Looking at the past few years, the swine industry’s demand for new solutions could not be overstated. Feed transitions had always presented numerous challenges, but with increasing litter sizes, the pressure to obtain faster growth and earlier weaning, and the highly impactful ban on zinc oxide and antibiotics, the sector was faced with more questions than there were answers. This is why Earlyfeed specialists embarked on a mission to address these pressing challenges. The result of their extensive research and commitment was a completely novel concept: Piglet’s Flavorit.

Sofie Tanghe, Product Developer Pigs for Earlyfeed, explains: “Drastic times call for drastic measures. That is why our teams really went above and beyond not just to come up with new solutions, but a completely new way of thinking about the way piglets are fed: we approached it from a piglet’s point of view. The major catalysts for this process were some groundbreaking new scientific insights into what naturally draws piglets to feed.

Firstly, and most importantly, Piglet’s Flavorit is the first solution to successfully mimic the olfactory cues secreted by the sow’s mammary gland. These scent signals were designed by nature to trigger the piglet’s innate reflex to search for and drink from its mother’s teat. Secondly, in addition to the sweety flavors that are most used in piglet feeds, salty and umami flavors play a much larger role in the piglets’ taste preference than previously assumed.”

“Piglet’s Flavorit mimics the olfactory cues secreted by the sow’s mammary gland to trigger the piglet’s innate reflex to eat.” – Sofie Tanghe, Product Developer Pigs

After years of intensive development, the Earlyfeed’s R&D team came up with a feed intake solution that was ready to be tested, validated, and finally taken to market.

Christopher Marcq, Account Manager for France, Belgium, and Luxembourg, proudly looks back: “I vividly remember being proud and excited to bring the result of this global team effort to our customers. The story was really new and unique. And facing the challenges of transitioning to non-medicated feed, customers were very open to giving innovative solutions a try. Although the concept had been extensively tested and validated, the best part was that we could immediately see it works well during the field trials. Of the pig producers who tried Piglet’s Flavorit, an astonishing 95% have decided to stick with it.”

“The story of Piglet’s Flavorit is really unique. And it works: 95% of the customers who tried it, decided to stick with it.” – Christopher Marcq, Account Manager France, Belgium and Luxembourg

Country manager for Germany, Austria and Switzerland, Dick Wim van Wijlen, agrees: “The proof of the pudding was – literally – in the eating. And our customers’ piglets did eat. Better and earlier than ever before, with all the associated benefits. We saw less mortality, less disease, better FCR and a higher degree of uniformity in growth. Some reported gains went up to 10% higher feed intake and 1 kg extra body weight upon transfer to the fattening farm. No wonder that several customers already refer to Piglet’s Flavorit as the best piglet feed intake solution they have seen to date.”

“It’s as simple as ABC: piglets that eat better and earlier, perform better. And with Piglet’s Flavorit, they do.”– Dick Wim van Wijlen, Country manager Germany, Austria and Switzerland