Co-products: what are they, and how do they contribute to more sustainable animal feed?

During the processing of our crops into consumer products, residual materials remain. Think of potato peels from fries production, beet pulp from sugar production, and brewers' spent grain from processing grain into beer. We call these residual streams co-products.

While they are not suitable for human consumption, they are still highly valuable in other applications. Every year, 6 million tonnes of our co-products find a meaningful purpose in various applications: from wallpaper glue to dog food, and from green gas to meat substitutes.

Circular food system

Around 75% of our co-products are used as circular animal feed. Circular means that no crops are grown specifically for animal feed; instead, these are co-products of other processes. By using co-products as animal feed, we bring them back into the food chain, contributing to a circular food system. This makes animal feed, after human consumption, the highest-value application for residual streams.

"In a circular food system, animals and plants go hand in hand." — Nicole Timmerman, Business Developer Circular at Duynie

Sustainable use of arable land

The global population is growing rapidly, and with it, the demand for food. This increases pressure on available resources. By using co-products as circular animal feed, we reduce the need to grow crops specifically for livestock. Our feed does not compete with human food for land. Instead, it helps to free up land for growing crops for human consumption.

Short supply chains and farmers’ revenue model

We always aim to deliver co-products directly from the factory to a local livestock farmer, without additional processing and with the shortest possible transport distance. This minimises empty transport miles and CO2 emissions. Additionally, these local co-products are often more cost-effective than traditional animal feed, contributing to farmers’ profitability.

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