We waste a lot of food, now the innovation with food leftovers gives new breath to the industry that profits from what used to go to waste.
There is no consensus on food waste sizing. A new study from the University of Minnesota argues that these estimates are inaccurate, incomplete, exaggerated or contradictory. What exactly is “food waste”?
The claim that we waste 40% of our food, and that this totals US$165 billion, comes from two separate studies with different methodologies. This value only considers the waste on retail or consumer level, but the losses before that, in transport and processing are not computed.
I stay with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) definition: food waste is any case where “safe and nutritious” food is discarded or used for non-food purposes, anywhere in the supply chain.
Despite our best efforts, we may never be able to use all the food we grow. But we need to strive for that. At Eat Innovation this topic has already been discussed directly in more than 20 posts, but the subject is an inexhaustible source of innovation (see all of them here).
Enough talk, who is profiting from the innovation with food leftovers?
Hellmann’s Ketchup
The new red and green tomato ketchup does not discriminate the fruit by color and has also generated a differentiated product. Unilever hopes to save 2.5 million tomatoes that were previously disapproved for not meeting the desired standard.
Fox Hole Spirits
About a third of every grape harvest that turns into wine ends up in compost. This gin uses a second pressure to collect the lost juice from the grapes, which is then fermented and made into English wine, used as a central ingredient in the drink.
Knoedelkult
The German startup uses unsold bread from local bakeries to make non-perishable muffins. For every 3000 jars of product, the company prevents a ton of bread from going to the garbage can.
SecondsFirst
SecondsFirst uses discarded fish to produce nutritious cookies that are consumed in nursing homes and schools.
Anyone who knows how to make innovation with food leftovers and take advantage of the opportunity to combine sustainability and profit will be doing good for their pocket and the planet.
PS: Article originally written on 26/06/2017 and published here on 12/08/2022. Of the companies mentioned above, Seconds First has ceased activity.
Sources: Triple Pundit, Huffington Post, The New Food Economy, The Grocer, Trend Hunter, DW
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