Circular Economy

Study:
Upcycling Food Isn’t Inherently Sustainable

New research highlights the potential benefits of upcycling surplus food and by-products — including job creation, cost-effectiveness and environmental advantages. But potential risks include reducing food security and equity.

Published 7 hours ago | About a 4 minute read

Image: Hive Brands

Globally, we waste roughly 40 percent of the food we produce — so repurposing unsellable food products and byproducts seems like a no-brainer. After all, reducing food waste has topped Project Drawdown’s list of 80+ solutions for combating climate change. However, research from New Zealand’s University of Otago suggests that upcycling food isn’t inherently more sustainable.

In the latest Briefing from the University’s Public Health Communication Centre, key researchers with the Food Waste Innovation group examine how upcycled food supports the three pillars of sustainability.

“We scoured the evidence around whether upcycling food is environmentally, socially and economically sustainable — and, if so, how,” says lead author Meg Thorsen. “Our review highlights the potential benefits of upcycling surplus food and by-products — such as job creation, cost-effectiveness and environmental advantages. However, it also reveals risks — including potential harm to food security and equity.”

The research shows the environmental benefits of upcycling food depend on factors such as the type of waste being repurposed and the energy required for processing: “For example, upcycling spent brewer's grain into food products may have a higher carbon footprint than using it as animal feed — unless environmentally friendly energy sources are employed,” Thorsen said.

Circular solutions such as upcycling keep valuable resources from going to waste — which is environmentally, socially and economically beneficial; and repurposing food waste is often promoted as a way to improve food security. ‘Novel upcycled foods’ produced from ingredients previously considered unsuitable for human consumption may increase the quantity of food available globally. These foods can also be financially accessible if they are not sold as premium products. However, many edible but “ugly” foods deemed unsellable are upcycled into snack foods that may not meet the nutritional standards necessary to boost food security.

Socially, upcycling food and agricultural waste can create jobs and support income generation for growers. However, the resulting products tend to be premium-priced — which can exclude lower-income families — and redirecting edible food to upcycling may unintentionally impact food banks. “There is the need for policies that balance these outcomes to achieve equitable and sustainable results,” Thorsen asserted.

Economically, the upcycled food industry is gaining traction — supported by consumer demand for environmentally responsible products. Yet, challenges including high production costs and supply chain dependencies can limit its scalability.

Thorsen says robust assessment of the environmental, social and economic impacts of upcycling is needed to realize the potential of upcycled food: “Developing sustainability assessment tools is key to ensuring that upcycled food contributes meaningfully to global sustainability goals.”

Optimizing industry and policy

The report suggests key considerations for companies and policymakers to ensure the growing upcycled food industry can work towards producing healthier products and yield the maximum environmental, social and economic benefits.

Include environmental, social, and economic impacts when assessing new policies to manage food that would otherwise be wasted.
Consider the impact that creating demand for food biomass has on food waste prevention efforts and food security.
Focus on upcycled food products and policies that prioritize the use of by-products, rather than foods that are edible but unmarketable.
Support policies that help develop and commercialize environmentally friendly industrial processes that stabilize food by-products for human consumption.

The study examined the impacts of food waste upcycled into other food products; but more and more innovators are taking otherwise wasted and unusable byproducts from agriculture and food manufacturing into everything from biogas, fertilizer, bioplastic resins and textiles to key ingredients for personal care products — turning inedible food bits into value-added products for producers, manufacturers and consumers while eliminating the climate-changing methane emissions from organic waste relegated to landfill.

Despite the benefits of upcycling, finding more ways to proactively reduce food waste before it becomes waste (including at the farm and retail levels) is the best approach — as it helps reduce the carbon footprint of food supply chains, address resource insufficiencies and improve food security.