12 minute read
Swine & U
Improving sustainability by recycling food waste — Part I
Crises often lead to change. For far too long, food waste has been the greatest contributor to inefficiency of resource use and our inability to achieve greater global food security and sustainability.
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More than 1.3 billion tons of edible food material are wasted annually around the world, which represents about one third of the total food produced and is enough to feed more than one billion people.
The amount and types of food waste vary between countries. Forty-four percent of global food waste occurs in less-developed countries during the postharvest and processing stages of the food supply chain. The remaining 56 percent of these losses (of which 40 percent occur at the pre- and post-consumer stages) are attributed to developed countries in Europe, North America, Oceania, Japan, South Korea and China. As a result, the United Nations has deemed food waste reduction as a global priority and included it in the list of sustainability goals. Specifically, food waste reduction has significant implications for several of the UN Sustainable Development Goals including zero hunger; responsible consumption and production; climate action; life below water; and life on land.
Crises often accelerate existing trends and the Covid-19 pandemic is redefining the concept of sustainability. The Covid-19 pandemic has caused major disruptions in food supply chains and caused huge shifts in food access, food security and food losses due to changes in food flow and distribution patterns.
Food supply chains are complex and most operate in a “just-in-time” mode where minor disruptions can have dramatic consequences. When employees were required to stay at home, and all businesses except those deemed essential were closed, consumer demand for food shifted from food services (e.g., restaurants, hotels, schools, and institutions) to retail grocery stores. Although ample supplies of food were available, existing food distribution networks were unable to quickly respond to these changes, which resulted in increased food waste.
For example, short-term disruptions in eating habits during the early stages of the Covid-19 outbreak in Spain resulted in a 12 percent increase in food loss and waste. Furthermore, increased shortages of agricultural and food processing workers caused by illness or fear of becoming ill led to fruit and vegetable crops being destroyed, along with closures or reduced processing capacity of animal slaughter plants. This severely restricted access for marketready livestock and poultry and resulted in the unfortunate need to humanely euthanize and dispose of millions of animals originally destined to enter the food chain.
Economic losses due to Covid-19 disruptions have been estimated to be at least $13.6 billion (U.S. dollars) for U.S. cattle producers and $5 billion for U.S. pork producers — with 30 percent less meat available to consumers at a projected 20 percent increase in price.
UniversityofMinnesota EXTENSION
SWINE &U
In addition to these economic losses, lack of sufficient rendering capacity for disposal of marketready animals has required the use of other less-desirable methods of SWINE & U disposal which are detriBy Dr. Gerald C. Shursoon mental to the environment and cause inefficiencies in resource use (i.e., land, water, nitrogen, phosphorus, labor) while increasing biosecurity risks.
As a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, researchers have proposed rethinking and redefining sustainability as the intersection of the economy, environment, society, and human health. Furthermore, a more holistic approach which includes climate, economics and nutrition is needed to improve food supply chain efficiency by reducing food loss and improving waste management of food supply chains adversely affected by changes in consumption patterns caused by pandemics.
In fact, the European Union has already indicated plans to revise the Farm to Fork subsection of the Green Deal reforms. Now, more than ever before, it is time for researchers and food sector experts to accelerate efforts for developing more sustainable and modern food systems by reducing the cost of food waste recovery and reutilization in the food chain. However, a very important component of food loss which has not been considered in all of these proposals, which also has dramatic effects on food security and sustainability, are mortalities caused by animal disease epidemics.
The African swine fever epidemic in China caused estimated losses of 220 to 300 million pigs originally destined for the food chain in 2019. This enormous number of pigs represents 25–35 percent of the total world pig population.
Because of the lack of infrastructure to manage the disposition of millions of pigs, the capabilities to recover nutrients from carcasses through rendering was not possible, and carcass burial and disposal in landfills were used at great environmental costs and biosecurity risks.
In addition, highly pathogenic avian influenza outbreaks in many countries around the world have resulted in losses of millions of chickens due to mortality and depopulation. Unfortunately, the likelihood of future disruptions in global food animal production caused by animal disease epidemics is increasing — due to increased global trade and travel, urbanization, exploitation of natural resources, and changes in land use.
These unprecedented food losses due to disruptions in global food supply chains have created an urgent need to reevaluate the intertwining of resource recovery, environmental impacts, and biosafety of various food waste streams and animal carcasses to achieve the greatest value. This is essential because animal-derived foods provide about one third of total human protein consumption; but their production requires about 75 percent of arable land and 35 percent of grain resources, while contributing about 14.5 percent to total greenhouse gas emissions.
Reimagining recovery of nutrients from food waste and animal carcasses, and subsequent recycling of these valuable nutrients into animal feed, can provide tremendous opportunities to use less arable land and rely less on global grain supplies, while reducing animal agriculture’s contribution to greenhouse gas emissions.
Although Japan and South Korea have been leaders in recycling food waste into animal feed, countries which produce much greater amounts of food waste (such as the United States and the European Union) have lagged far behind. Concerns over the risk of transmission of bacteria, prions, parasites and viruses have been the main obstacles limiting the recycling of food waste streams containing animal-derived tissues into animal feed. These concerns have led to government regulations restricting this practice in the U.S. and EU.
Adequate thermal processing is effective for inactivating all biological agents of concern — perhaps except for prions from infected ruminant tissues. The tremendous opportunity for nitrogen and phosphorus resource recovery from recycling food waste streams and rendered animal by-products into animal feed have not been fully appreciated.
Therefore, the purpose of this review is to summarize the current knowledge of the benefits and limitations of recycling various pre-harvest to post-harvest food animal-derived waste sources, as well as retail to post-consumer food waste sources, into animal feeds to achieve greater food security and sustainability.
In next month’s Swine & U, we will examine further the options for maximizing resource recovery and value of waste streams when dealing with food waste disposal.
Dr. Gerald Shurson is a Professor of swine nutrition in the University of Minnesota Department of Animal Science and can be reached at shurs001@ umn.edu. v
MIELKE, from pg. 14
The declines were led by lactose, down 2.7 percent, after inching up 0.8 percent in the last event; and butter was down 1.4 percent after a 1.2 percent slide last time.
StoneX Group equated the GDT 80 percent butterfat butter price to $1.4525 per pound U.S., down 2.3 cents from the last event. Chicago Mercantile Exchange butter closed Sept. 18 at $1.5975. GDT cheddar cheese equated to $1.6667 per pound, up 11.2 cents, but compares to Friday’s CME block cheddar at $2.6275. GDT skim milk powder averaged $1.3104 per pound, up from $1.2080; and whole milk powder averaged $1.3540, up from $1.3080. CME Grade A nonfat dry milk closed Sept. 18 at $1.07.
In other trade news, Cooperatives Working Together member cooperatives accepted 13 offers of export assistance from CWT this week to help capture sales of 1.166 million pounds of cheddar, Gouda, and Monterey Jack cheese, 262,350 pounds of butter, and 330,693 pounds of whole milk powder. n
Checking prices, cash CME block cheddar gained a nickel on Sept. 14, 11.25 cents on Sept. 16, 7.25 cents the next day, and pole-vaulted 22.75 cents on Sept. 18 on one trade, to close at $2.6275 per pound. This is up 46.25 cents on the week and 57.75 cents above a year ago. The blocks have gained 97.75 cents in four weeks.
The barrels finished at $1.6359, up 4 cents but 2 cents below a year ago. They set a new record spread on Sept. 14, 16 and 18 — expanding it to 99.25 cents below the blocks. Nine cars of block sold on the week and 11 of barrel.
FC Stone speculated in their Sept. 15 Early Morning Update that a new cheese plant coming on line in late October in St. John’s, Mich. may help balance or normalize these types of spreads.
The Sept. 14 Daily Dairy report says the plant will produce 800,000 pounds of cheddar per day by next spring and will be “a significant increase in the nation’s potential cheddar supply.”
The report adds, “While more cheese is likely to weigh on national average Class III values, the facility will likely boost dairy producers’ milk checks in the region, where there will be less discounted milk, and a greater share of producers’ milk will be based on the Class III price. The new plant will also leave less skim milk for driers and less cream for other uses, which likely will lift Class IV prices at the margins.”
Dairy Market News reports, “After weeks and even months of cheese plants running very active schedules, some are drawing down production for various reasons. Some are scheduling days off for maintenance, others are simply cutting back to meet lighter, albeit still healthy, demand. Specialty cheesemakers are preparing for fall demand. Some barrel producers suggest they have loads in inventory they could move, but inventory levels are not a current concern.”
Cheese is in abundance in the west, according to Dairy Market News. However, supplies are “manageable.” Barrels are more prevalent, thus block prices are higher. Retail sales are steady, but food service demand only increased slightly. Contacts say takeout orders remain strong, particularly for pizza. n
Butter closed the week at $1.5975 per pound, 11.75 cents higher but 51.75 cents below a year ago. There were 69 sales reported, a whopping 46 on Sept. 15 alone, beating the previous single day record of 59 on Nov. 3, 2004 (but that was when butter only traded three times per week).
Dairy Market News reports retail butter orders are starting to bounce back according to regional butter makers. Fall demand increases have begun, even as retail orders have remained above previous years’ figures for most weeks since the onset of Covid-19. Food service has edged up week-to-week as well, but still remains light compared to previous years. Market tones remain somewhat steady, but current prices are well below previous years and enticing heavier buying for fall.
Western butter makers appear to be positioning for typical end-of-year demand. Butter output is steady to higher as manufacturers produce for the fall baking season and more cream is available due to the slowdown of ice cream output. Dairy Market News adds, “In a year marked by the coronavirus pandemic, social unrest, and now, severe wildfires, typical is not a normal word choice.”
A few western butter facilities prepared for evacuation but didn’t need to. However, smoke and ash from the fires kept patrons away from outdoor eating at restaurants, further quelling that market outlet. Retail butter sales saw a slight slump this week due to people staying home to avoid the poor air quality.
Air quality was expected to improve with lateweek rain and cooler temperatures. Dairy Market News says, “Some rural towns are destroyed and thousands of residents displaced. Disruptions and challenges may be the new normal until conditions improve within the region.” n
Grade A nonfat dry milk climbed to a Sept. 18 close of $1.07. This is up 3 cents on the week but 1.25 cents below a year ago on 21 sales reported for the week.
Dry whey finished at 35.50 cents per pound, unchanged on the week, but 4.25 cents below a year ago with five sales reported at the CME.
The latest Crop Progress report showed 89 percent of U.S. corn is dented as of the week ending Sept. 13. This is up from 64 percent a year ago and 7 percent ahead of the five-year average. Forty-one percent is mature, up from 16 percent a year ago and 9 percent ahead of the five-year average. Sixty percent is rated good to excellent, up from 55 percent a year ago.
The report shows 37 percent of U.S. soybeans are dropping leaves, up from 13 percent a year ago and 6 percent ahead of the five-year average. Sixty-three percent were rated good to excellent, up from 54 percent a year ago. The cotton crop has a 45 percent good to excellent rating. That compares to 41 percent a year ago.
U.S. row crops will fall short of their summer potential, but they will still be bumper crops by any other metric, says the Daily Dairy Report’s Sarina Sharp. Writing in the Sept. 11 Milk Producers Council newsletter, Sharp says, “If USDA’s projections are correct, this year’s corn crop will have the highest national average yield on record; and soybeans will match the record-high yield set in the 2016-17 crop year.”
Sharp adds, “The robust harvest is likely to push end-of-season corn inventories to 2.5 billion bushels — the highest total since 1988,” but “a rebound in exports is likely to trim soybean stocks relative to the previous season. But, at 460 million bushels, they will still be historically large. Nonetheless, crop prices are rising as export prospects improve.”
The National Milk Producers Federation praised the latest disaster assistance to U.S. farmers. However, NMPF’s Paul Bleiberg stated in a podcast, “Election-year politics is complicating efforts to push additional agriculture aid through Congress; but already-authorized spending may allow USDA to aid dairy farmers facing unstable roller-coaster prices and shifting supply chains.”
Bleiberg said, “An announcement on what mix of disaster assistance and direct purchases farmers may receive is expected very soon. That spending was provided for in legislation passed earlier this year offering relief from coronavirus-related price and supply-chain disruptions. Lawmakers also face an Oct. 1 deadline to keep the government funded.”
Lee Mielke is a syndicated columnist who resides in Everson, Wash. His weekly column is featured in newspapers across the country and he may be reached at lkmielke@juno.com. v
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