Re-Used Bread Offers Many Benefits, Including Waste Reduction

Disturbed by the amount of bread wasted around the world every year – about 1.2 million tons – a New Zealand university professor figured out a way to take unsold bread from supermarkets and make new loaves. Collaborating with food company Goodman Fielder, Aydin Berenjian [left] developed a day-long process that produces one ton of fermented bread that has a high profile of essential amino acids, high resistance starch, and a higher shelf life – up to seven days. It tastes like a cross between white bread and sourdough, and because the microbes used in the fermentation system are all probiotics, the bread benefits the digestive and immune systems. 

"Researcher Recycles Stale Bread Into New Loaves", Stuff, October 30, 2017

Australian Scientists Create Machine That Turns Unsold Produce Into Healthy Snacks

Scientists at Australia’s national science agency CSIRO have developed an extrusion machine that can turn agricultural food waste into healthy snacks, cooking ingredients, soup premixes, etc. Powders produced [left] can be used in smoothies, dips, sauces, spreads, pasta, noodles, or bakery items. Growers could use the machine to generate a secondary income line by turning unharvested produce – e.g., broccoli or carrots – that might otherwise be left on the field into high-value food ingredients or healthy snack products, scientists said. According to CSIRO, the machine is ready for commercialization; the agency is demonstrating it to growers to determine the level of interest.

"Food Waste: Excess Crops Become Base for Healthy Snacks", The Weekly Times, October 31, 2017

Food Donations Up 20 Percent In Italy Since 2016 Food Waste Law

Italians are donating 20 percent more food to charities since the enactment of a law designed to curb food waste, a politician says. The law, which went into effect in September 2016, expanded the types of foods that could be donated beyond products with a long shelf life. Cooked food, fruits and vegetables, much of it sourced from produce markets, cruise ships, and sporting events. can now be donated to the needy, said Maria Chiara Gadda. 

"Donations Up 20% after Food-Waste Law", ANSA, November 03, 2017

An Expanding Global Population Requires Smarter Agriculture, Food Engineering

As world population grows by 83 million people annually, by 2030 there will be a billion more people to feed on planet Earth. That can’t be accomplished without some serious innovation in food production and agriculture. The solution entails advanced technology and "precision agriculture" – digital solutions and advanced data analytics – that would boost crop production efficiency and improve yields, cuts costs, and increase crop resilience. Use of drones and robotics would reduce labor and energy intensity with remote, automated crop monitoring. Another way to expand the food base is by engineering meat protein that tastes like the real thing but requires much less land to produce than beef. 

"From Plantburgers to Cutting Food Waste: How to Feed the Next Billion", Raconteur, November 05, 2017

British Chefs Donate Waste For Composting, Then Growing Produce For Restaurants

A self-styled “food waste farmer” is teaching British chefs to rent plots of land, donate their waste food for composting, then grow crops for use by their restaurants. About ten London chefs are renting 1,100-square-foot gardens owned by Indie Ecology, which are worked by farmers to organically grow whatever fruits, vegetables, and flowers the chefs want. The goal of former chef Igor Vaintraub is to help transform the way chefs think and act about their impact on nature and the environment. 

"Plotting to convert waste into taste", The Sunday Telegraph (London), November 05, 2017

Onsite Digestion Machine Could Help Restaurants Convert Food Waste To Power

A start-up company that was spun off from a British university has developed a prototype of an onsite anaerobic digestion machine that uses microbes to convert restaurant and hospital food waste to biogas. The gas can then be used to create electricity for heat or power. The U.K. has more than 200 anaerobic digestion plants, but this is the first onsite solution. The entrepreneur who developed the prototype and launched the company out of her doctoral research is seeking the funding needed to commercialize the project within a year. 

"University Spin-Out Turns Food into Electricity", Heriot-Watt University, November 10, 2017

U.K. Bread Waste Activists Turn Toast Into Propaganda

A campaign by a London newspaper inspired two advertising professionals to get serious about food waste, especially the wasteful disposal of uneaten bread. They developed a campaign of their own called Edible Leaflets in which they “toast facts on how to waste less onto slices of bread and give them out in London.” The idea was to inscribe fun facts or slogans about food waste on the bread and hand them out on the streets of the city. The toasted slices offered crumbs of wisdom like “1 in 3 slices binned,” “1 slice for every human on earth,” “never too old to make croutons,” and “feed me to the ducks,” all designed to “get people’s attention by tackling the problem” – wasted bread – “in a fun way.” 

"Meet the Duo Tackling London's Food Waste Problem Head-On with Edible Leaflets", Evening Standard, November 13, 2017

Postsecondary Schools Will Collaborate In Training Food Waste-Conscious Chefs

Philadelphia’s Drexel University is collaborating with other colleges and universities to develop a curriculum whose mission is to reduce food waste in restaurants by training educators to inspire and teach culinary students to minimize food waste. Of the $218 billion in food waste – 63 million tons – annually, a third is wasted by restaurants and commercial foodservice businesses. The Drexel project is supported by the James Beard Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation, and will involve other schools, including New York University, the Academy of Culinary Arts, Boston University, and Colorado State University. 

"Training the Next Generation of Chefs and Culinary Professionals to Reduce Food Waste", News release, Drexel University, November 15, 2017

London Tests Buses Powered By Coffee Beans

Some of London’s buses are being powered by a biofuel made with 20 percent coffee oil. The concoction provides a cleaner, more sustainable energy solution for buses across London's network by decreasing emissions, according to collaborators Royal Dutch Shell and bio-bean, which has pioneered the use of coffee grounds as a source of clean-burning fuel, including bio-mass pellets and briquettes called Coffee Logs. Bio-bean founder Arthur Kay says the bus fuel initiative is an example of what can be accomplished “when we start to reimagine waste as an untapped resource." 

"Shell, Bio-Bean and Coffee-Drinkers Collaborate to Help Power London's Buses", News release, Royal Dutch Shell, November 20, 2017

Reports Illustrate Magnitude Of Food Waste Problem In U.S.

Two new reports make the case that an “outrageous amount of food is wasted in our cities,” and could instead be redirected to feed the hungry. Data from the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Rockefeller Foundation show that 68 million more meals annually could potentially be donated to people in need across New York City, Denver, and Nashville. The reports provide detail on how much food is wasted in the home, how cities could increase food donations to the poor, and how food waste problems could be tackled at a city level nationwide. The NRDC also published case studies of innovations by government agencies, nonprofits and private companies that seek to address hunger, reduce waste, and create jobs. 

"Two-Thirds of Food Wasted at Home in Three Major U.S. Cities is Edible", Natural Resources Defense Council, November 25, 2017