U P C YC L E D F O O D
8
What Is Upcycled Food?
batch, but they don’t have great options for
of branded products such as nutrition bars
offloading it, beyond animal feed as a best
and puffed chips.
case. I was blown away to learn that over 90
The good news is that people working
percent of the water footprint of beer is in
toward a solution have now expanded be-
the grain supply chain and that each pound
yond just our operation. Now in grocery
unlocking their highest value, finding “best” use, and improving the way we
of malt (what it takes to make a six-pack)
stores you can find not only ReGrained
value resources, which, like recycling, enables us to do more with less, going
uses over 300 gallons of water — the equiv-
products but a growing selection of upcy-
beyond reuse
alent to a two-hour shower.
cled products in the market such as Bar-
by Dan Kurzrock
Upcycling: a zero waste philosophy of creatively reusing byproducts and
Examples: turning an old climbing rope into a new dog leash, empty plastic
The environmental impact of food waste
nana (cosmetically imperfect bananas and
is massive. If food waste were a country, it
plantain snacks), Renewal Mill (cookies
would rank third after the United States and
and flour from okara, tofu production’s by-
During our undergrad years at UCLA in
China in terms of impact on global warm-
product), and Toast Ale (beer made from
the early 2010s, we found the perfect loop-
ing, according to the U.N. Food and Agri-
surplus bread). In other words, what began
hole to the legal drinking age: brewing our
culture Organization. When food ends up in
as an underage experiment in recreation-
own beer. During this time, I coined the
landfills, it releases methane, a greenhouse
al entrepreneurship has blossomed into a
term “edible upcycling,” a way of upcycling
gas that is at least 28 times more potent
food movement.
the “spent” grain leftover from my home-
than carbon dioxide, according to the U.S.
Eating upcycled is an easy and effective
brewing to use as an ingredient in bread. I
Environmental Protection Agency. Because
way to participate in the fight against food
would sell these loaves of bread and use the
of a lack of available oxygen, food doesn’t
waste through a food movement that strives
proceeds to buy the ingredients to make
break down in landfills in the same way that
to identify and elevate every overlooked and
more beer.
it would in nature or in a compost bin.
underutilized ingredient stream hiding in
bottles into a fleece sweater, or used cigarette butts into a brick
While many homebrewers and large
We can all do our part by minimizing
plain sight. When done well, upcycled food
breweries see the leftover byproducts as
the amount of food we buy so less is wast-
tastes great (nobody wants a product that
“spent” just because they can’t be used to
ed — and by making sure we’re composting.
just tastes like a good idea) and delivers on
make more beer, to me they’re actually ren-
While the U.S. Department of Agriculture
nutrition, functionality, and sustainability.
Dan Kurzrock is the co-founder and
dered “super” through the process. That's
estimates that 31 percent of food waste
Upcycling is a movement that makes both
"Chief Grain Officer" of ReGrained
because the brewing process removed the
occurs in the home, consumer-facing busi-
dollars and sense, so we are seeing it earn
and founding Executive Board Mem-
sugar from the soaked grains and left be-
nesses account for at least 10 percent of
some well-deserved traction.
ber of the Upcycled Food Association.
hind dietary fiber, protein, prebiotics, mag-
waste. So we all have a part to play in being
ReGrained is an ingredient platform
nesium, iron, and zinc.
a part of the solution.
Snacking more sustainably by eating upcycled is one small action you can take to
and packaged foods innovator that spe-
With no access to compost, tossing the
At ReGrained, we developed patented
better align the food you eat with the plan-
cializes in upcycling nutritious food
grains felt wasteful, so I got creative and
technology to create a new supply chain for
et you love. We hope it also inspires you to
streams. Learn more: regrained.com
started a company, ReGrained. We learned
upcycled flour. We sell this flour to other
take a look in your own kitchen and improve
breweries generate tons of this grain every
companies and also use it in our own line
your own impact. Eat up!
HOW TO DO GOOD WITH FOOD GO OD
BET TER
BEST
Plant a garden at your home, or join a community garden. You can donate the food you grow to your local food bank or organizations that make sustainable food more accessible.
By partnering with farms, manufacturers, and businesses, Feeding America can find ways to rescue more food that would have otherwise gone to waste — and feed more people in need. Donate to support their work.
Eating locally is great (see page 9) but the single best thing you can do to reduce your carbon footprint through food is to reduce the animal-based foods you eat. Start with #MeatlessMonday, and go from there!
