Time to Rethink WASTE
We have arrived at a time of environmental crisis on our planet partly due to a throwaway culture. Around 30% of all our food production is wasted. By valuing waste as a resource we have an opportunity to change this behaviour.
While there are many preventive measures that people can take to minimize food waste, not all parts of plants and animals can be directly consumed by humans. These byproducts contain valuable nutrients that should not go to waste if they can be safely reused. Through innovation many can be repurposed and turned into new valuable resources directly or as feed stock for insects or micro organisms. This way they can reenter the food system as ingredients in aquafeed.
Land-animal-by-products (LAPs) like feathers and bones from chickens contain many valuable nutrients essential to the diet of many aquaculture species. They are invaluable resources that can diversify the raw materials portfolio for aquafeed as they are not only a great source of protein but may also have a great sustainability profile.
Traceability, Quality Assurance and Market Acceptance
LAPs have always been considered a valuable resource. However, poor traceability and monitoring of the raw material led to the BSE crisis (known as mad cow disease) which put a temporary end to the use of land animal by-products in feed production. Even though strict legal rules and regulations have been implemented, there are still reluctance in some markets to accept and approve these raw materials into the food system.
As we strive to decouple from the human food supply chain, we must acknowledge that LAPs and other alternative raw materials can aid in the sustainable growth of the aquaculture industry.
Today there is a greater range of products originating from land animal origin than existed before. The stricter controls combined with new technological development in the process industry allows for much more consistent quality in the processing of raw materials of land animal origin
It is time for us to rethink waste and develop a more sustainable mind-set. The old views around certain by-products are no longer warranted. To have a truly sustainable aquaculture industry we must look to use circular ingredients with a high sustainability profile.