UPCycled4­Food: upcycled food as the new normal

On June 18, Foodvalley launched the Upcycled4Food initiative during the international conference "Towards Halving Food Waste in Europe". Alongside a group of frontrunners from the agrifood sector, the ambition was expressed to make upcycled food products and ingredients the 'new normal' for producers, supermarkets, and food service companies in their product development, purchasing, and sales processes.

Vision and collaboration

This initiative emerged from the Position Paper “Upcycled Food and Ingredients” published on June 18 on the Foodvalley website. Nearly 50 parties from Foodvalley’s Upcycling Community collaborated with experts from various sectors, including academia, financial institutions, and market research firms. The publication contains visions and ambitions for optimizing the use of side streams in the agrifood chain.

The publication identifies challenges and opportunities in the growing market for upcycled food and ingredients. It also proposes desired actions for various stakeholders, such as public authorities, investors, retailers, food service companies, and food producers. It argues that when every player in and around the chain is aware of their role and that of other relevant parties, collaboration significantly boosts the impact.

Future actions

The Position Paper provides a solid foundation for future steps to make upcycled food products and ingredients the new normal. The first immediate step is the launch of the Upcycled4Food initiative to improve sales opportunities. This initiative aims to create new collaborations in the chain that result in innovative products and ingredients. Additionally, it seeks broad acceptance of the production, sourcing, and supply of upcycled food products by food manufacturers, food service companies, and retailers.

The goal is to create a movement where more and more companies in the chain embrace this ambition and commit to it.

Foodvalley.nl