Recycling food waste for cattle feed

As much as 40 percent of the food produced, transported, retailed and consumed in the U.S. is being wasted. Food waste reportedly costs $165 billion annually and requires 25 percent of the freshwater use and 4 percent of the energy budget. Most food waste, about 33 million tons, is disposed in landfills. Food waste can be valorized into animal feed, fertilizer, bio-fuel and value-added products. At present, using food waste as animal feed represents the most logical start for food waste valorization because it leads to the greatest recovery of value with the least amount of infrastructure costs. The growing opportunity to valorize food waste of vegetable origin into cattle feed depends on assessing its nutritional value and its ensuring animal health and beef and dairy food quality and safety. A recycling company based in Georgia, Viridiun LLC, was established in 2009 and has quickly developed an extensive food waste collection, milling-processing and feed distribution system. At present the company recycles fruit, vegetable and bakery food waste from several hundred Wal-Mart stores located in the Southeast, Midwest and Northeast U.S. A cooperative project was started between UGA animal and dairy scientists and Viridiun in 2010 to determine nutritive properties and feeding value of grocery food waste to facilitate their efforts. The company is receiving nutrition support to characterize and market a cattle feed derived from food waste. Cattle producers throughout the region are using this information to profit from using this novel feed byproduct by incorporating it accordingly into their specific programs and taking advantage of its cost-effectiveness at an opportune time with regard to feed prices.