3 Sustainable Food Brands That Reduce Food Waste And Upcycle Food

We've found an easy way to reduce your food waste! Just like you, these sustainable food companies care about the planet and are dedicated to making products from upcycled foods that would've been food waste. You may be surprised at what we've discovered!

Do you have your blanket, pillow, and snack ready? Because we’re about to tell you a great story! A tale really, about the brands in capes that dedicate their time to finding food waste solutions. How might you ask? Through the ingredients they use and the way that they produce goods! So snuggle up, get comfortable and listen to the tale of the Food Waste Heroes!

What is Food Waste?

Once upon a time, there was a world called earth, that wasted 1 billion tons of food. That’s right, 1 billion tons of food are wasted globally according to an intergovernmental organization called the United Nations. 

When the citizens of earth heard the news, they were in shock! How could they as people waste so much food globally? They knew that something had to be done about it, but what exactly? Before they could even tackle the food waste problem, they first had to understand what food waste was in the first place. 

They journeyed far and wide to the cave of Food Loss And Waste. In the cave, they discovered ancient markings and symbols. Luckily for them, they had a Historian along with them who could decipher the meaning of the message. The Historian read, “Food waste refers to food that is produced, raised, retrieved, and harvested but is never consumed. This happens to food items that are damaged during transportation, food that goes bad before it can be sold, or leftover meals that are discarded after sitting in the fridge for too long.”

The people of Earth were in shock as the realization hit them. They had been doing this all along without thinking about it. Some of the travellers didn’t want to hear anymore, but the Historian continued. “There is a difference between food loss and food waste. Food loss is when the food goes through the whole process of being raised, caught, or harvested but never makes it to the retail level.”

The people gasped and looked at one another in disbelief. That didn’t stop the Historian from reading on, “Food waste is when the food arrives at the retail level, preparation stages, and even consumption. However, some of it never gets consumed.”

Silence filled the cave…

Suddenly, a citizen from the back of the group spoke up. “Why? Why does food waste happen?”

The citizens looked to the Historian expectantly for him to continue deciphering. The Historian swallowed hard and continued reading. 

Food Waste Causes

“There are many reasons as to why food waste happens…

1. Food is selected based on outer looks
2. Seasonal supply and demand 
3. Poor storage and handling of food 
4. Cancelled orders 
5. Damage to food during transportation 
6. Overproduction 
7. Not enough people to harvest and handle food. 

Before the Historian could continue, another citizen spoke up. “Enough of this. I don’t want to hear anymore, I just want to know how we can reduce food waste.”

Everyone looked at each other, unsure of what steps to take next. Suddenly, there was a loud noise from a distance, everyone turned around and saw figures flying towards them with capes. The citizens didn’t know if they should be fearful or accepting of the caped beings, but they stood there in shock and waited. 

The beings arrived and landed in front of the cave, their capes blowing in the wind. It was them…the Food Waste Heroes! 

Sustainable Food Brands 

1. Barnana 

The next being cleared its throat and introduced itself as Barnana. 

Barnana is a being that believes in upcycling. They do this by using fresh bananas and plantains that have gone to waste due to their outer appearances. They realized that a lot of bananas and plantains were being wasted because they were too ripe for shipping. The ripened bananas and plantains wouldn’t survive transportation to the market which meant they would be tossed away. If they had scuffs, were too ripe, or weren’t a good size then they would be rejected.

So Barnana decided to use those fresh bananas and plantains as…snacks! They realized that these bananas and plantains just needed a bit of TLC! 

Their plantain chips are made with sustainable and certified palm kernel oil. They use regenerative agriculture techniques, which means that their farming practices are in harmony with nature! 

Their snacks are non-GMO verified and are truly a farm-to-shelf food waste fighter!

The citizens wiped away tears and thanked Barnana for the hard work it had been doing for the planet. 

2. Simple Mills 

The next food waste fighter waved its hands and greeted the citizens as Simple Mills. 

Simple Mills believes in using real and purposeful ingredients in its products! They source their coconut sugar from actual coconut sugar farmers that use regenerative farming practices like composting, which helps boost soil health. They realized, like Barnana, that regenerative agriculture helps in improving ecosystem durability. 

For instance, their chocolate brownie, honey cinnamon, and mint chocolate sweet thins are made using watermelon seed flour! Watermelon seed flour contains protein, micronutrients, and good fats. Mixed with cashew flour, sunflower seed flour, and flax allows for these purposeful ingredients to provide a light crispy crunch! 

The people of earth blinked a couple of times in skepticism as they never imagined treats being made with watermelon seed flour. But Simple Mills nodded to confirm and the citizens applauded Simple Mills with gratitude. 

3. Beretta 

The final hero walked forward and warmly greeted the people as Beretta. 

Beretta is a fighter that is fully sustainable in two different ways. Their ranches work in harmony with water, the surrounding ecosystems, and land. They also don’t believe that any part of the animal should be wasted. They do this by ensuring that there’s a home for all parts of the carcass prior to harvesting. 

Beretta’s meat products are grass-fed and raised without steroids, antibiotics, and hormones. They believe in a sustainable program that begins with conception and ends with consumption. They make sure that food waste is handled correctly to do their part in fighting this ongoing problem!

As the final Food Waste Hero stepped back, the citizens of earth cheered and hugged each other. Their saviours arrived, and they no longer had to worry about food loss. However, the food waste heroes stopped them in their tracks and shook their heads. 

“This is what we’ve been doing as companies to reduce food waste…but it doesn’t stop with us.”

The people looked at each other confused by the Food Waste Heroes’ sudden change in tone. The heroes continued, “You all have to think about food waste management at home. You also have to do your part in tackling this worldwide problem.”

Realization dawned on the citizens. They were too busy thinking about how the Food Waste Heroes would save the day, but weren’t considering how they could help! 

How Can Consumers Reduce Food Waste 

The people of earth sat in the cave and brainstormed examples of food waste in households and what they could do to combat it. 

“Oh I have an idea,” shouted the first person. “How about we adjust the way we shop! Let’s stop overbuying food in bulk and only buy the food that we need? We will have to make more trips to the grocery store, but at least we’ll make sure we eat what we buy.”

Everyone nodded in agreement and smiled before the next person began, “If we haven’t already, why don’t we compost? It’ll help turn our food waste into energy for the plants of earth!” 

They clapped and patted the person on the back. Another citizen chimed in, “Let’s do better at storing our leftovers. If we pack our leftover food in glass containers then we’ll be able to tell what we’re even saving in the first place. Oh! And let’s try keeping our fridges a bit more organized. When it’s too cluttered, certain foods are buried away and forgotten. That’s how a lot of things get spoiled.” 

“Yes!” shouted someone else. “I was just thinking the same thing. Also, if we have anything that’s a bit too ripe, we can use them for smoothies! We can toss in the skins as well for more nutrients.” 

“Oh I have something, how about we work on our serving sizes. If we stop overeating, it’ll help us cut down how much leftover food we’re throwing away after our meals!”

All of the citizens erupted in cheering, laughter, applause and tears. They were able to come together, with the help of the Food Waste Heroes, and create a plan to fight the food waste problem. They knew that it would take some work, but they were willing to put in the extra effort to help save their world. It was their home, and if they didn’t take care of it then who would? 

Final Thoughts

It would be unrealistic to say that the people of the earth lived happily ever after. They were human after all and still made mistakes. But, with more and more companies choosing the sustainable route, and consumers being more conscious of how much food they were wasting, they were at least moving in the right direction. It wasn’t happily ever after, but it was definitely the beginning of something great! 

Disclaimer: This article was created for informational purposes only. Please consult with your health care team prior to making any changes to your diet or lifestyle.