Turning Grocery Waste into Nutritious Ingredients

Written by Dr. Bradley Quest , DVM

In today's world, sustainability is a top priority for businesses and consumers alike. One area where significant progress can be made is in reducing food waste. By upcycling food waste, we not only protect the environment but also add value back into otherwise wasted resources.?

On June 12, 2024, the current presidential administration released a “National Strategy to Reduce Food Loss and Waste and Recycle Organics” policy, which also is endorsed by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The goal of this initiative is to reduce human food loss and waste by 50% by 2030. To help achieve this goal, the current administration has committed $200 million to study and support these efforts.?

Wasted human food products make up almost a quarter of all solid waste put into landfills in the US and contributes to 58% of the landfill methane emissions. Simply diverting food waste from landfills can significantly reduce methane emissions. Sadly, 61% of the methane produced is not captured by landfill methane collection systems. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, and this could not be truer here; according to the EPA, prevention and upcycling food waste are the most impactful way to manage this global issue. Food waste could also be prevented by more mindful shopping decisions at the grocery store, as it is estimated that each US consumer spends roughly $400 per year on food that ends up in a landfill.??

It is inevitable that there will always be some amount of food waste in society. Technologies and processes exist today to turn wasted food into ingredients that can be used in animal food and to make natural fertilizers for crop fields. Cost and availability of traditional crop fertilizers are volatile, as most are produced outside of the US. In fact, the US had a $4.3 billion dollar trade deficit for all crop fertilizers imported and exported in 2023. Therefore, utilizing upcycled fertilizers could be beneficial in decreasing America’s dependency on international fertilizers, while also reducing waste at home.?

As consumers become more aware of sustainability practices and efforts to reduce waste to landfills, diversion of some of this inevitable food waste to other nutritional sources seems like a valuable option. Currently, there are accepted regulatory feed definitions that allow for certain upcycled food ingredients to be used in animal livestock feed under certain conditions. There is also research being conducted to further understand the nutritional benefits and safety of some upcycled human food ingredients for use as pet food ingredients.??

Known environmental benefits of this approach include:??

• The diversion of food waste from landfills, which leads to reduced methane release from landfills.
• Providing nutritious safe feed ingredients for pet food.
• Reducing the need for using food ingredients for pet food that otherwise could be used in the human food chain.

Sustainability is becoming increasingly important in most—if not all—industries, and as seen from the information and data here, repurposing food waste may have one of the greatest environmental benefits to our society of all.?

As individuals and businesses, we can all play a role in reducing food waste. At BSM, we take sustainability seriously and work with companies to reduce food waste and upcycle ingredients that are safe and effective for pet foods. By supporting upcycling initiatives, making conscious choices in our daily lives, and advocating for sustainable practices, we can create a more sustainable future together.?

About the author: Dr. Bradley Quest , DVM, is the Principal Veterinarian at BSM Partners. He has practiced clinical veterinary medicine and has developed, studied, and clinically tested pet health products for the past two decades.