From farm to fork to farm: Recycling grocery food waste into cattle feed

Summary

Food waste in the U.S. is being recognized as a major problem needing intervention. Reducing food waste throughout the supply chain will only partly solve this problem. Valorizing or converting food waste into revenue is also needed. Research is being conducted in cooperation with a Georgia-based recycling company to effectively use food waste from large retail distributors as a commercial cattle feed.

Situation

As much as 40% 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% of our freshwater use and 4% of our energy budget. Most food waste, approximately 33 million tons, is disposed in landfills, costing $750 million and accounting for 25% of U.S methane emissions. Approximately 50% of the food waste is of vegetable origin (fruits, vegetables and grain products) and 15% occurs at retail and 50% at the consumer level (food service and household). It is recognized that food waste can be reduced at every level of food production and the remaining food waste stream should be valorized. Many factors are responsible for a paradigm shift that is occurring from viewing food waste as a cost to viewing it as a potential revenue source. The main factors include the scale of food distribution systems, rising commodity prices, limitations in energy and water resources, increasing cost of waste regulations, consumer expectations, social responsibility and food production sustainability. In practice, 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.

Response

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 and Viridiun in 2010 to determine nutritive properties and feeding value of grocery food waste to facilitate their efforts. Since the grocery byproduct (GBP) is relatively high in moisture (80-85%), comparable to ensiled fodder, an ensiling experiment was conducted. The processed GPB readily ensiles, remains preserved under anaerobic conditions and is stabile after 72h aerobic exposure. Ensiled GPB decreased from 5.06 to 3.96 in pH and decreased more than 90% in soluble carbohydrates and increased as much as 30% in lactic and acetic acid. Ensiled GPB averaged 14% crude protein and 82% predicted TDN on a dry matter basis. A controlled feeding and digestibility study was conducted with eight yearling Holstein steers (589 lb BW, SD=64 lb). Each steer was fed 0, 18, 36 and 54% ensiled GBP (DM basis) for two weeks as part of a total mixed ration (TMR) substituted for a control ration consisting of 68% wheat silage and 32% concentrate (81% soyhulls, 9.5% soybean meal and 9.5% ground corn) in a replicated 4 X 4 Latin square designed experiment. The GPB used was processed as it is marketed commercially as Readi-Blend® by Viridiun, LLC. The TMR rations averaged 35.9, 30.7, 26.8, and 23.8 % DM that contained incremental amounts of GPB. Independent of diet the steers gained 2.8 lb/d over the 8 week experiment. DM intake increased (P<.01), in a quadratic manner (1.83, 2.00, 1.91 and 1.76 % of body weight) and DM digestibility increased (P<.01) linearly (57.7, 57.4, 61.2 and 64.5%) with incremental levels of TMR GBP. Ration digestible energy increased (P<.01) linearly (2.24, 2.31, 2.51 and 2.73 Mcal/kg) with incremental levels of GBP. The DE and TDN content of GPB was 3.47 Mcal/kg and 78.7%, respectively, as determined by extrapolating a linear relationship between % GPB and DE and TDN to 100% dietary GPP. Adjusting the TDN for the discount associated with intakes ~ 2.7 times maintenance suggest that the GPB TDN is ~ 85% when fed at maintenance. The results confirm field observations that GPB is very palatable and an energy concentrated feed worth $50-70/ton (as-fed basis) based on nutritive content and corn and soybean meal prices. With the growing concern about food waste and unprecedented feed prices, it is a most opportune time to develop and market a vegetable-based food-waste feed product for cattle.

Impact

A Georgia-based 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.

State Issue

Agribusiness Development/Value Added

Details

• Year: 2012
• Geographic Scope: National
• County: Clarke
• Program Areas:
  • Agriculture & Natural Resources