Pop-Up Restaurant At Selfridges To Offer Meals Created From Surplus Foods

U.K. department store Selfridges is operating a rooftop pop-up food waste restaurant for a month featuring “reinterpretations” of classic British foods like cabbage cores, cover crop sprouts and pork from waste-fed pigs. The restaurant, sponsored by U.S. consumer electronics firm Sonos and digital music provider Spotify, follows a format created by Manhattan chef Dan Barber. The temporary eatery will take surplus foods from farmers, fishermen, distributors, butchers, artisanal producers and retailers to create a full menu with daily specials. It will also serve special cocktails and offer a “tea experience” created by pastry chefs.

"Selfridges to Launch Pop-Up Food Waste Restaurant Wasted", The Grocer, January 24, 2017

German Grocery Store Sells Only Wonky Produce, Expired And Surplus Foods

"First German Supermarket Sells Waste Food Only", Deutsche Welle, February 06, 2017

College Student Has Big Plans For Her Family Farm’s Waste Mushrooms

A British university student with a passion for profitably managing family-owned farms is pushing forward her idea to turn waste woodland mushrooms into a premium beer. Harriet Livesey, whose family's farm grows the mushrooms, recently won a scholarship she will use to start a business that – in addition to making beer – will train farmers to be “business-minded:” specifically, how to diversify, develop, progress, and make the most of their resources profitably. The scholarship will support her financially as she launches her own enterprise brewing artisan shiitake beer from waste mushrooms. She will need to carry out primary market research, attend brewery courses, research micro-brewing processes, identify market trends, and design and develop her brand.

"Student Hoping Mushroom Beer Idea Takes Off", Leicester Mercury, February 13, 2017

Food Manufacturers Simplify Safety And Quality Labels On Grocery Items

The two largest trade groups for America’s grocery industry say they have adopted standardized, simplified, voluntary regulations to make product date labels clearer to the average consumer. The situation contributes to food waste because as many as 91 percent of consumers interpret a "use by" label (or no label at all) as a food safety warning and discard perfectly safe foods. Food manufacturers now use 10 different label phrases: for example, "expires on" and "better if used by." These would be replaced by just two: "use by" and "best if used by." “Use by” indicates when perishable foods are no longer safe to eat. "Best if used by" is a subjective guess regarding the date of optimum food quality: the point of peak flavor according to the manufacturer. Changes won’t be effective until July 2018.

"You’re About to See a Big Change to the Sell-By Dates on Food", The Washington Post, February 16, 2017

Waitrose Supermarket Chain Is In The Avant Garde Of Food Waste Handling

British supermarket chain Waitrose has been a pioneer in preventing and repurposing food waste. Five years ago it stopped sending waste to landfills. Surplus food that can’t be donated to charities is used to generate electricity. And it sells wonky (misshapen or ugly) produce at a discount. The chain has taken the program another step forward: its new fleet of delivery trucks runs on fuel made from food leftovers. The company’s ten eco-friendly trucks can travel 500 miles on the food-waste fuel, which is cheaper than diesel and emits about 70 percent less carbon dioxide. Waitrose chose waste-based gas after researching biodiesel (too expensive) and electricity (batteries too heavy, recharge time too long)

"These Grocery Delivery Trucks Are Powered By Food Waste", Fast Company, February 17, 2017

Food Waste Trends Need To Be Reversed To Ensure Global Food Security

A study by British researchers concluded that reducing food waste in production and consumption would improve global food security – i.e., the goal of universal access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food. People should be encouraged to eat fewer animal products because around 1.1 billion tons of harvested crops are used to produce 240 million tons of meat, milk and eggs. People should be encouraged to eat only what they need to have adequate nutrition: currently people eat ten percent more food than needed. Nine percent of food produced is thrown away or left to spoil. Half of food produced is lost to inefficiencies in production and consumption. Unless the trends are reversed, greenhouse gas emissions will increase, water supplies will be depleted, and food security will decline.

"Losses, inefficiencies and waste in the global food system", Agricultural Systems, February 21, 2017

New Line Of Prepared Frozen Fruits, Vegetables Helps Reduce Food Waste

British supermarket chain Tesco has launched a range of prepared frozen produce designed to take the "fuss” out of cooking with unusual but antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables, including pomegranates, watermelon, coconut and beetroot (beets). Sold in resealable packages are frozen diced beetroot and coconut, chunks of watermelon, and seeded pomegranate. The range will also help reduce food waste because consumers take what is needed and leave the rest in the freezer, Tesco says. 

"Tesco Addresses Food Waste with Fuss-Free Frozen Fruit", Food Ingredients 1st, March 02, 2017