The cool new trend in the consumer food Industry that is slowly yet surely gaining traction. Upcycling, also known as creative reuse, is one step beyond recycling and means using wasted or previously used materials and items in new ways. It is born out of the carbon reduction and climate change zeitgeist and requires consumers to accept that they can consume products made out of waste or recycled materials.
When applied to food, upcycling means using parts of crops, fruits and edible items that would not be used conventionally and would be wasted, burnt, used as feed for animals and so on. With better processing, technology and design, such waste material can be used to make cool and tasty new food products. There is a lot of innovation on offer. From granola made from apple pomace, snacky chips made from vegetables, healthy non dairy milk made from nuts and grains, drinks made from fruit pulp, shrimp powder made from discarded tails, cookies and crackers made from waste fibre, beer made from waste bread, the choices are many.
Of course the ancients also upcycled but it was mostly based on fermentation and helped preserve crops beyond the season, we are familiar with examples of molasses to make rum, grapes to make wine, apple cider and others. In the early decades of this century, driven by dietary and health trends, using whole grain flour, karma nuts and high fibre foods are examples of the evolution towards upcycling, although I would not include luwak coffee among them.
With food waste as a big contributor to global warming and higher food prices, this is a convincing reason for adoption of the trend. The numbers are mind boggling,food worth 1 trillion dollars is wasted each year, this is about 28% of all food produced, and adds 70 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide and methane to the atmosphere. If upcycled foods are produced and liked by consumers at scale, it will go a long way to help in the war to contain climate change.
Several startups and food companies are already in the market with upcycled food products, such as Planetarians, Crust Japan, Renewal Mill, Jali Fruit Co, Aqua Botanical, The Ugly Company, Wtrmln Wtr, Barvocado, Barnana, Regrained and ReMilk. In 2021, the #Upcycled Food Association launched the Upcycled Certified program, the world's first third-party certification program for upcycled products and ingredients. The certification model allows brands to get certified for upcycling and declare the upcycled content and ingredients on pack and in advertising.
Consumers like the concept and the products not only because they are tasty and easy on the palate but also because they are significantly better for the environment and help to mitigate climate change. Like other sustainable trends, upcycling food is about consumers wanting to eat well while doing good ! #upcycledfoods. image :upcycledfood.org
