What is Upcycled Food?
Upcycled food is a relatively recent term used to describe the process of using food waste as ingredients for other foods, thus removing it from waste disposal and making good use of nutrient dense and edible ‘waste’. The Upcycled Food Association defines upcycled foods as those that “use ingredients that otherwise would not have gone to human consumption, are procured and produced using verifiable supply chains, and have a positive impact on the environment.”
Food waste is a huge problem with about 1/3 of all food produced going to waste, and much of the food wasted comes from other food processing methods that often get sent directly to landfill. Some examples of industrial food waste fit for upcycling are spent grain from breweries, fruit pulp from juice production, nut pulp from nut milk manufacture, detritus from livestock, even vegetable peels and stems. Even foods that are bruised or ‘ugly’ are good candidates for upcycled food waste. All these materials contain nutrients that can be harnessed into ingredients for new foods and become part of a cyclical food system, reducing needs for raw materials and the amount of waste produced.
How is Upcycled Food Developed?
Many of these products can be turned into flours, used in baking mixes, used to increase nutritional content in other foods, sold as dried fruit snacks, used as soup ingredients, and so many other possible ways. To develop a new upcycled food stream, interdisciplinary teams will work to brainstorm, create prototypes, conduct sensory evaluations on look, taste, aroma, and texture, and eventually come up with a new product using food waste.
2021 has been a big year for upcycled foods. Coming soon to Canada is a Certified Upcycled label that manufacturers can put on their products to show consumers that they meet industry standards of being an upcycled food. As a start, this will first roll out in the United States prior to its expansion to the rest of the world. The Upcycled Food Association has created this certification to encourage retailers and consumers to support upcycled foods and reduce food waste with every purchase. This standard will help grow the upcycled food industry and help achieve the associations long-term goals of increased economic and environmental sustainability. Visit this website and browse the “Upcycled Certified” tab to learn more about the standard and how products can be certified upcycled. Consumer support has driven these changes as people want to support businesses that have lower environmental impacts and produce less waste. Upcycled food was named one of 2021’s top food trends of the year and as education spreads, more and more consumers want to support upcycled foods.
So why should you support upcycled foods? Well, they are better for the environment and help improve issues of food and water scarcity. They also make economic business sense, since these wastes are already made and would otherwise go to landfill, they will be cheaper and potentially require less labour than sourcing raw materials. Upcycled foods are also good for you. They are nutrient dense ingredients that can easily be added to meals or eaten as healthy snacks.
Some Ways to Support the Upcycled Food Movement:
- Purchase consumer goods that incorporate upcycling into their products
- Repurpose foods you would normally throw out in your own kitchen
- Purchase upcycled groceries
- Regrow food using scraps, seeds, or sprigs
- Volunteer at local food rescue programs
- Educate yourself and others on food upcycling and how to contribute
Visit this website for some more great information about food upcycling, the benefits of upcycled foods, and some certified companies selling both products and ingredients made from food waste.
The SEED
The SEED is a local not-for-profit organization based out of Guelph, Ontario looking to address food security through value added upcycling processes on second grade produce, while also providing training and job experience to youth facing barriers to employment. A study was conducted by asking volunteers to complete a survey about the reasons for their involvement in the project. They wanted to be part of the Upcycle Kitchen Initiative because it will help tackle food insecurity and will reduce the environmental impacts of food waste. While many of SEED’s projects have been halted by COVID-19, their desire for a more sustainable food system prevails and food upcycling will be an important environmental and social consideration for reducing our food waste both in industry and at home.
Upcycling at Home
Food upcycling isn’t just for industries though, we can be doing it at home with our household food waste too. We can dehydrate peels, skins, and scraps to use as snacks, flours, or ingredients in other foods. Drying herbs can be a great way to save the flavour for later and can be added to soups, spice rubs, and other meals whenever desired. We can also boil any scraps to make broths and extract any last flavour and nutrients before the items become food waste. Infusing oil with flavours from herbs or other items is another great way to add flavour later. Even something as simple as noticing produce is going bad and throwing it in the freezer is a great way to reduce food waste. Items may need to be chopped up, or blanched, or even blended into a sauce, but this will make use later very easy.
More Upcycling on a Community Level
There are many ways to take part in food upcycling on a community level as well! Similarly to volunteering at local food rescue programs, learn more about what community food sharing and surplus food programs are and how they help reduce food waste!
Food Upcycling UW 