Upcycled Foods Blog

    WHAT THE UP?! WHY UPCYCLING ENABLES FOOD SYSTEM TRANSFORMATION… By Daniel Kurzrock and Dr. Lara Ramdin   It may come as no surprise to know that our food system is profoundly inefficient.    According to ReFED’s Food Waste Monitor analysis, in 2021, the U.S. let a whopping 38% of the 241 million tons… Continue reading What the UP?! Why upcycling enables food system transformation

    IFT RELEASES FOOD LOSS AND WASTE WHITEPAPER AIMED AT IMPROVING GLOBAL FOOD AND NUTRITION SECURITY CHICAGO – May 30, 2023 – The Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), a nonprofit scientific organization committed to advancing the science of food and its application across the global food system, has released a whitepaper that examines global food… Continue reading IFT Releases Food Loss and Waste Whitepaper Aimed at Improving Global Food and Nutrition Security

    Listen UP: Sharing CAFÉ Talks Ep. 67 – ReThinking Waste “What once was thought to be of no use has been given a chance to be great again, to feed us all and pay respect to the plant, the animal, and the products we made and pushed aside what was left. What is… Continue reading Listen UP: CAFÉ Talks Ep. 67 – ReThinking Waste

    Upcycling food ‘is really one of the biggest opportunities facing the food industry’ “Upcycling food, or turning would-be wasted byproducts from one product into something delicious and nutritious for people, has emerged as one of the hottest trends in food and beverage in recent years with the market projected to grow at a… Continue reading Upcycling food ‘is really one of the biggest opportunities facing the food industry’

    How upcycled product innovation can help grocers address their sustainability priorities in 2023   As sustainability becomes an increasingly important focus for consumers and businesses alike, grocery retailers are looking for ways to reduce waste and make their operations more sustainable. According to a recent study by Supermarket News, 71% grocers listed sustainability… Continue reading How upcycled product innovation can help grocers address their sustainability priorities in 2023

  Coffee Leaf Upcycled Food Ingredient Series   Coffee leaf tea, derived from the coffee plant, is an incredibly sustainable beverage that could complement the coffee industry.   This beverage takes the leaves from the coffee plant, which would have been otherwise wasted, and roasts them before grinding them into a fine powder and steeping… Continue reading Coffee Leaf: Upcycled Ingredient Series Part IV

    Cashew Fruit Upcycled Food Ingredient Series Have you ever seen a cashew fruit? If not, get ready to be shocked.   That small, curved nut known to us as the cashew comes from a much larger fruit known as the cashew fruit or cashew apple.    The cashew seed, a.k.a. the “nut” we… Continue reading Cashew Fruit: Upcycled Food Ingredient Series Part III

    Are Nose-to-Tail and Root-to-Stem Cooking Considered Upcycled Food?   What is “Nose-to-Tail?”     Nose-to-tail cooking entails getting maximal use out of all parts of the animal and letting very little, if any, parts go to waste. This form of cooking is far more sustainable than traditional industrial animal consumption, and resembles upcycled… Continue reading Are Nose-to-Tail and Root-to-Stem Cooking Considered Upcycled Food?

      3 Easy Alternatives to Single-Use Plastic   In the spirit of Earth Week, we are continuing the conversation around global plastic usage and waste. Recently, we have seen plastic waste highlighted as a part of the regular news cycle. We are especially tuned into the good news—from the rising popularity of zero-waste… Continue reading 3 Easy Alternatives to Single-Use Plastic

  What Is “Brewer’s Spent Grain?”   If you haven’t heard of it before, you’re not alone. So-called “spent” grain is a massively overlooked potential source of human nutrition that accounts for 85% of the brewing industry’s byproducts. Think of it similarly to how whey protein is produced as the cheese industry’s primary byproduct. Both are co-produced… Continue reading What Is “Brewer’s Spent Grain?”

  Innova’s Recent Market Research on the Upcycled Food Industry   Consumers care more about their actions’ impact on the environment than ever before, according to an Innova Report published on June 30, 2022.   This report was based on a Lifestyle & Attitudes survey conducted globally by Innova Market Insights. The results dictate that consumers… Continue reading Innova’s Recent Market Research on the Upcycled Food Industry

  Coffee Fruit   Upcycled Food Ingredient Series   Many of the foods and drinks we love hide undervalued byproducts that contribute to food waste — one of these is the coffee fruit, the the vehicle for the coffee beans that brew the top beverage consumed worldwide.   History   Beyond coffee beans, the coffee… Continue reading Coffee Fruit: Upcycled Food Ingredient Series Part II

      Cacao Fruit   Upcycled Food Ingredient Series: Part One   About 500 cacao beans go into producing a pound of chocolate… but did you know that cacao is actually a fruit? What happens to the rest?   Well, typically not much. You may have seen creators eating the slimy, white-fleshed cacao fruit… Continue reading Cacao Fruit: Upcycled Food Ingredient Series Part I

      Could Upcycled Foods Help Stabilize the Global Wheat Crisis?   You don’t need to analyze your grocery store receipts too closely right now to see that food prices are skyrocketing, with wheat being no exception. Wheat products make up many of the staples we know and love – think bread, pasta, and… Continue reading Could Upcycled Foods Help Stabilize the Global Wheat Crisis?

  A Beginner’s Guide to The Upcycled Food Movement by Daniel Kurzrock   (article originally posted on ReGrained.com April 15, 2020)   Provide me a forum, and I’ll gladly wax on about how upcycling is a revolution obsessed with creatively challenging tradition. I’ll argue that we should always hold our food system subject to improvement… Continue reading A Beginner’s Guide To The Upcycled Food Movement

    There are Functional Foods and Then There’s ReGrained SuperGrained+   (Article Originally Appeared On ReGrained.com 12/02/2019)   You’ve heard of Superfoods, but there is a new category of power-packed, nutritionally dense foods that are making their way mainstream. Functional foods are stepping up to a plate near you in a big way, and… Continue reading There are Functional Foods and Then There’s ReGrained SuperGrained+

      Why You Should Be Optimistic About Compostable Packaging     Optimism about packaging in today’s single-use culture can feel hard to reach. Rather than crumple up our dreams of a more sustainable future and toss them out the window, we’ve always felt inspired to find a better way. Cars aren’t going away,… Continue reading Why You Should Be Optimistic About Compostable Packaging

  What Usually Happens To Brewer’s “Spent” Grains?   This is a valid question. And we find ourselves answering it a lot. It’s a polite way of asking if ReGrained is a solution in search of a problem. TLDR; We’re not.   Historically: The supply of this brewer’s byproduct has been in balance with agricultural demand… Continue reading What usually happens to brewers’ “spent” grain?

  Food Waste Alchemy 101 Transforming Food “Waste” Into Delicious Gold   (Article Originally Posted on ReGrained.com 10/17/2016)   We waste too much edible food. It’s true. I’m not the first one to say it. I won’t be the last. We can move on. We don’t have to belabor the fact that food waste squanders both resources… Continue reading Food Waste Alchemy 101: Transforming Food “Waste” Into Delicious Gold