Human food waste to animal feed: opportunities and challenges

By 2050, the demand for animal protein is estimated to increase by 70%. Concurrently, United Nations (UN) member countries have committed to reduce food waste by 50% by 2030. Moreover, even if the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change dietary-change recommendations are followed, measures to produce food and animal feed more efficiently will become increasingly important in creating a more sustainable food future. Currently, livestock animals consume over a third of global grain production. However, livestock animals, including insects, could function as efficient bioprocessors for converting unavoidable food waste into valuable animal protein. Establishing such a circular food system would simultaneously reduce both the negative environmental impacts of food waste going to landfill and intensive livestock production, as well as meet the need for increased livestock feed. To be successful in establishing a food waste to livestock feed industry, it will be critical to ensure that feed safety is appropriately regulated to prevent adverse animal health, welfare, biosecurity, food safety, economic, market access and food insecurity outcomes. Currently, regulatory frameworks in most industrialised countries either prohibit feeding of food waste to livestock or limit the wastes permissible. However, there is a growing body of knowledge showing that if the correct processing and safety measures are implemented, that food waste from retail and food service can be effectively and safety utilised in commercial production systems. The Japanese have developed a successful food waste to pig feed industry, based on both liquid and dry feeding systems, which is regulated and encouraged under national policy. They have developed licenced ‘Ecofeed’-branded products, and the pork industry has not been negatively affected by emergency animal diseases through this feeding practice. If other countries are to establish similar food waste to livestock feed industries, then strategies to mitigate food safety and biosecurity concerns will need to be developed and implemented. Regional techno-economic analysis will also be required to assess industry profitability and determine the potential investment required for new collection, storage and feed production infrastructure. Furthermore, legislation, based on scientifically robust research, will be required to incentivise food-waste producers and the livestock industry to actively engage and drive change.