Upcycled Food & Regenerative Ag: Allies in a Circular Economy to Champion Stop Food Waste Day
By Dan Kurzrock, Co-founder & CEO of ReGrained
This article originally appeared on HowGood. It’s been modestly edited for greater relevance to UFA members.
Over one-third of the food in the United States is lost or wasted every year, squandering natural resources, contributing to food insecurity, and perpetuating the climate crisis.1 Of the 73 to 152 million metric tons of measured food waste lost each year, the most wasted foods are fruits and vegetables, followed by dairy and eggs. Over half of all waste occurs at households and restaurants, while the food distribution and processing (i.e., manufacturers) sector generates 34 million metric tons of the total amount stated above.2 Put in terms of gross tonnage, it’s the equivalent of every U.S. citizen wasting over 1,000 pounds of food each year.
As the adage goes, you can’t manage what you don’t measure, and there have been over a dozen studies attempting to quantify the impact on natural resources and required inputs to produce food that is never consumed. In November 2021, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency published an exhaustive 107-page report titled, “From Farm to Kitchen: The Environmental Impacts of U.S. Food Waste.” The study conducted a systemic review of relevant peer-reviewed reports and other publicly available information pertinent to food lost and waste from 2010 through 2020, with priority given to publications from 2014 or later. Even to the initiated, the findings are staggering. Approximately 16% of agricultural land, a footprint the size of California and New York combined, is dedicated to producing crops that are never eaten each year. Similarly, we’re wasting 20% of our food system’s (largely fossil-fuel reliant) energy consumption, which is enough to power 50 million homes (Figure 1). Our current food system is linear and extractive – we take, we make, and we waste. Breaking our destructive cycle of waste by redesigning for circularity is arguably the lowest hanging-fruit dangling within humanity’s reach. In contrast to linear thinking, a circular economy ends waste from happening in the first place.
Annual Cradle-to-Consumer Environmental Footprint of U.S. Food Loss and Waste
Figure 1
Breaking the cycle and reframing the system requires intention and commitment by all stakeholders—from farmers and food manufacturers to retailers and consumers. The good news? Doing so is in everyone’s best interest.
As The Ellen MacArthur Foundation in its groundbreaking report, “The Big Food Redesign: Regenerating Nature with the Circular Economy” so aptly asserts, the circular design of food makes it possible to transform our food system into one that is good for people, planet, and the prosperity of all stakeholders. The report brilliantly creates a framework that combines food design with the principles of the circular economy. These three principles include:
Eliminate waste and pollution
Circulate products and materials at their highest value (i.e., upcycled ingredients)
Regenerate nature (e.g., regenerative agriculture, agroecology, agroforestry)
But what exactly does “food design” mean? The discipline entails developing (or reformulating) products to have nature-positive outcomes, with profitability typically as a co-benefit. With food design, we seize the opportunity to collectively look at ingredient ecosystems to understand a product’s impact on the environment, and then adjust our inputs to yield more optimal outputs. Increasing ingredient diversity is a central tactic to circular food design. Today, just four crops provide 60% (!) of the world’s calories, while many alternative ingredients that pack a lighter environmental load (and potentially greater benefits) are rarely used. For instance, consider the development of mainstream food products designed to replace a percentage of conventional wheat with regeneratively farmed perennial grains like Kernza and/or upcycled brewers’ grains. Perennial grains support regenerative agriculture by building healthy soils, improving wildlife habitats, and protecting water resources. Upcycled brewers’ grains yields an entirely second product, where there was previously just one.
When it comes to sourcing ingredients, food processers that embrace circular design provide significantly greater benefits than only improving conventional sourcing practices. As seen in Figure 2, these benefits positively affect people and planet, by improving biodiversity and lowering GHG emissions, while simultaneously driving greater economic return.
Circular Design for Food Model and Impact
Upcycled ingredients are central to the circular design framework to ensure food reaches its highest use and maximizes the return on the resources that have already been exhausted (Figure 2). And unsurprisingly, upcycling is recognized as a top food waste solution for food producers in terms of economic and environmental impact. According to ReFED’s aggregated analysis, food waste diverted with upcycling eliminates 2.6 metric tons of CO2e and saves 238,000 gallons of water saved per ton.
Figure 2
At a macro level, 42% of consumers report an increased awareness of the environmental impact their food choices represent.5 Further, a leading study found that 95% of consumers surveyed indicated a specific desire to do their part to reduce food waste.3 Another study found that consumer consciousness of the positive impact food waste mitigation has on the climate crisis has grown 71% since 2019.6 Together, these data points demonstrate an active interest by consumers to make food choices that reduce their food waste and help improve the planet’s health. In this context, food choices may include buying less food to avoid spoilage, selecting brands that support regenerative farming practices, choosing items made with certified upcycled ingredients, or all the above.
The COP26 Summit and Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 2022 report, just the latest in an ongoing series of global calls to action, sent another clear message that the time for urgent action is now. The food system is a significant contributor to climate change, and our business leaders play a critical role to develop solutions and lead the way for all stakeholders. The circular design of food is a compelling framework for food companies to implement because it marries nature-positive solutions with economic upside. Folks, it is time for bold action to put theory in practice. The analysis is done, now it is up to us to choose agency over paralysis.
About the Author
Dan Kurzrock is the Founder & CEO of ReGrained, the leading innovation platform for upcycled food. The company specializes in using patented technology to create novel ingredients from previously overlooked and undervalued supply chains. In partnership with food makers, we develop new food products and menu items featuring certified upcycled ingredients. Dan was a co-founding officer of the Upcycled Food Association and Upcycled Food Foundation, and can often be seen pioneering the movement on the frontlines. He’s a thought leader on the upcycling food movement, often a featured speaker at industry conferences and sought after by the media. He earned his bachelors from UCLA, where underage homebrewing started it all, as well as an MBA in sustainable business from Presidio Graduate School.
SOURCES
1 FAO (2019). The state of food and agriculture: Moving forward on food loss and waste reduction. Rome, Italy: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. http://www.fao.org/3/ca6030en/ca6030en.pdf
2 Jaglo, K.; Kenny, S.; and Stephenson, J. (2021). From Farm to Kitchen: The Environmental Impact of U.S. Food Waste (Part 1). (Report No. EPA 600-R21 171). Washington, D.C.; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Research and Development. https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2021-11/from-farm-to-kitchen-the-environmental-impacts-of-u.s.-food-waste_508-tagged.pdf
3 The Ellen MacArthur Foundation, ““The Big Food Redesign: Regenerating Nature with the Circular Economy,” 2021
4 Mattson (2021). Upcycling: The Opportunity. Foster City, CA: Mattson. Proprietary research from ReGrained.
5 IFIC (2021). 2021 Food and Health Survey. Washington, D.C.: International Food Information Council. https://foodinsight.org/2021-food-health-survey/
6 FMI (2019). Products from Food Waste Market - Key Research Findings. Dubai, United Arab Emirates: Future Market Insights. https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/products-from-food-waste-market
