With a mission to tackle the issue of food waste, emerging and established brands are creating entire businesses and products around giving new life to byproducts from the food and beverage industries—just as Renewal Mill has done with its Okara Chocolate Chip Cookies.
These cookies, exhibited at the Winter Fancy Food Show, put an eco-friendly spin on a classic, comforting treat with okara flour. Okara flour has four times the amount of dietary fiber as whole wheat flour and the process of creating it helps to make the most of the pulp that is leftover from processing soybeans. For the making of its products, Renewal Mill is now collaborating with a tofu manufacturer to make the most of its soybean pulp, which was otherwise used as animal feed.
Food Waste Cookies
Renewal Mill's Chocolate Chip Cookies Use Okara Flour Made with Soybean Pulp
Trend Themes
1. Food Waste Recycling - Emerging and established brands are beginning to create entire businesses and products around finding new life for byproducts from the food and beverage industry giving rise to potential recycling opportunities for food waste.
2. Sustainable Food Production - Using eco-friendly ingredients to create food products helps to lessen the environmental impact while producing more sustainable food products.
3. Health and Wellness - Creating healthier food products by using alternative, nutrient-dense ingredients for baking such as okara flour, can not only tackle food waste but also promote better health and wellness outcomes.
Industry Implications
1. Food/snack Industry - Companies within the food and snack industry have the opportunity to integrate sustainable and eco-friendly practices and ingredients into their products while tackling the issue of food waste.
2. Soybean Industry - Soybean manufacturers, similar to Renewal Mill, can collaborate with other industries to use the pulp leftover from processing soybeans to create alternative ingredients for baking, snacks, and other food products.
3. Sustainability Consulting Industry - Consultants with expertise in sustainability and food waste reduction can help companies implement more sustainable practices and products to create a waste-free food supply chain.