ADM and CJ CheilJedang form amino acid joint venture

ADM and South Korean food and biotech company CJ CheilJedang agreed on October 2, 2026, to form a joint venture to develop, manufacture, and market feed-grade amino acids for the livestock industry across the Americas.

CJ CheilJedang will hold majority ownership of the joint venture. The partnership will bring together CJ's fermentation plants in Fort Dodge, Iowa, and Piracicaba, Brazil, alongside ADM's feed-grade amino acid facility in Decatur, Illinois. It will also integrate CJ's sales offices in Mexico, Brazil, and the United States.

The joint venture will receive exclusive rights to produce and market feed-grade amino acids across North and South America under an intellectual property license from CJ CheilJedang. CJ CheilJedang will retain ownership of that intellectual property and its other fermentation businesses, while ADM will keep its remaining Decatur operations and global fermentation footprint outside the transaction.

ADM Innovation and Growth Vice President Kris Lutt stated that challenging global conditions have pressured domestic output of amino acids such as lysine. Lutt cited recent actions by the U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. International Trade Commission against unfair lysine imports from China as support for the initiative. The transaction launch remains subject to regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions.