Upcycling Food Trend Addresses Food Waste
Seeking a Sustainable Supply Chain by Anna Klainbaum in Food Technology Magazine, October 2019
CCD Innovation comments on the many startups tackling supply chain issues by creating food products out of food waste and the challenges they have in being pioneers in this effort. “They have their work cut out for them to harness a new supply chain, make products, and then communicate their benefit,” says Kara Nielsen. “These products need to really stand out and connect with consumers in more ways than sourcing.”
Products made from upcycled ingredients continue to appear in the marketplace. “Thus, we are learning about a variety of former waste stream ingredients that are being transformed into edible products,” Nielsen says. She cites several companies in this space:
Grain Elevator and Brewer’s Crackers are finding new uses for spent grains
Barnana taps into high-fiber flour from green bananas
Renewal Mill uses soybean waste from tofu to make flour
Planetarians makes an edible fiber from defatted sunflower seeds
Other startups focus on new uses for salmon skin and cacao fruit