Upcycled Ingredients Industry, 2024-2030

Upcycling is Driving Transformational Growth in the Food and Nutrition Industry Due to a Focus on Minimizing Agro-Food Waste

An upcycled ingredient is an ingredient produced by the valorization of byproducts obtained from processes along the agro-food industry value chain that can re-enter the food value chain as part of a new product. In practice, the food system can get “more” out of “less” by creating two or more products out of resources that formerly produced only one. Upcycling is a waste management strategy that creates value. It is part of a broader movement to address environmental concerns and promote sustainability within the food industry.

The research scope covers upcycled ingredients used across different application areas, including food, beverage, and dietary supplements. The analysis focuses on understanding the current ecosystem and likely developments in the upcycling of agro-food industry waste. The report is segmented based on the source of waste material into plant- and animal-derived upcycled ingredients.

The analysis highlights products and solutions that key ingredient manufacturers offer to meet the growing customer demand for clean-label products and solutions with high sustainability expectations. The companies considered in the scope are those active in the food and nutrition space and use or produce upcycled ingredients.

Key Competitors in the Upcycled Ingredients Industry:

• Apparo
• Arla Food Ingredients
• Barry Callebaut Group
• BASF
• Blue Stripes
• Brightseed
• Cargill
• Clariant
• COMET-Bio
• CP Kelco
• Crush Dynamics Inc.
• Del Monte Foods, Inc.
• dsm-firmenich
• Extracta
• Fancypants Bakery
• Flavor Producers
• FrieslandCampina
• Givaudan
• Glanbia Nutritionals
• GoodSport Nutrition
• Harmless Harvest
• IFF
• Ingredion
• Kemin Industries
• Kerr by Ingredion
• Kerry Ingredients
• NETZRO
• NURA USA
• NutriLeads
• Outcast
• PURIS
• ReBon
• ReGrained
• Renewal Mill
• Roquette
• Tate & Lyle
• The Coffee Cherry Co (formerly Coffee Flour)
• Upcycled Food, Inc.

The Impact of the Top 3 Strategic Imperatives on the Upcycled Ingredients Industry:

Internal Challenges

• Processing waste material is costly and requires significant capital investments, which can strain resources, especially when such sustainability initiatives are not part of a company’s core strategy. 
• The incorporation of sustainability initiatives requires a significant change in internal processes, which could be challenging for employees and higher management. 
• The adoption of advanced digital technologies will overcome companies’ implementation challenges during the forecast period. 
• For instance, the use of advanced AI technologies can optimize food waste identification and utilization for upcycling purposes, and the integration of robotics in upcycling facilities can improve resource efficiency and reduce costs. 
• Companies must align their vision and goals and invest in R&D to ensure the success of upcycling initiatives. 

Transformative Megatrends 

• Consumer awareness and demand for sustainable, environmentally friendly food ingredients and products is growing. 
• Despite growing demand, some customers remain hesitant when it comes to upcycled ingredients because they are made of waste materials. 
• The growing focus on safety and quality is increasing, as no harmonized regulations for upcycled ingredients exist, which confuses consumers. 
• Companies must invest in marketing and consumer education programs to address misconceptions. Adhering to clear and transparent labeling and gaining product certifications will drive market penetration. 
• Collaborating with associations such as the Upcycled Food Association (UFA) to increase awareness of the benefits of upcycled ingredients will drive demand.
• Stakeholders need to work together to achieve regulatory harmonization to support industry growth.

Competitive Intensity

• The competitive intensity will increase during the forecast period as the focus on upcycling expands among value chain participants. 
• Large ingredient suppliers will see strong competition from niche players offering unique ingredients and solutions. 
• To maintain competitive differentiation, companies must invest more in R&D and offer unique solutions or collaborate and form partnerships with niche start-ups to maintain their competitive edge.- In an upcycled industry, establishing solid partnerships with raw material suppliers will remain essential to maintaining a strong market position. 

Segmentation

Upcycled Ingredients by Source

Plant-based

•   Fruits
•   Vegetables
•   Grains
•   Legumes
•   Nuts and seeds

Animal-based

•   Meat
•   Fish and seafood
•   Dairy products
•   Dairies

Upcycled Ingredients by Application

• Dietary Supplements
• Food & Beverages

Key Competitor Offerings:

ADM 

ADM is a major player in agricultural processing and food ingredient production, converting agricultural commodities such as grains, oilseeds, and corn into essential food ingredients, animal feeds, renewable fuels, and sustainable products. The company produces and innovates with upcycled sweeteners, starches, and nutritional ingredients.

• Upcycled high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) waste: ADM processes corn into HFCS, a widely used sweetener in the F&B industry. While the primary product is HFCS, ADM maximizes corn use by extracting other valuable components, including corn fibers and corn germ, that it processes into dietary fiber and oil, respectively.
• Upcycled corn starch waste: ADM processes corn into various starch products used in food, paper, and industrial applications and extracts corn oil from the germ.

Cargill

• Cargill is one of the largest privately held corporations in the United States and is heavily involved in agricultural commodity trading, processing, and distribution. The company deals with a wide range of crops, including grains (corn, wheat, and soybeans) and oilseeds.
• Aside from the company’s numerous initiatives in waste valorization, it has put effort into fiber sustainability across areas such as sustainable sourcing, transparency and traceability, waste reduction, and upcycling:
• CitriPure® citrus fiber is made of citrus fruit peel using chemical-free processing. Other parts of the fruit are used for juice and oil, so the whole fruit is used with little to no waste in the production process.
• In 2019, Cargill and Renmatix announced plans to jointly explore new approaches for upcycling plant materials into functional food ingredients. Renmatix Plantrose Process technology and Cargill's preferred feedstocks developed alternatives for emulsifiers and hydrocolloids. Renmatix created Nouravant® maple fiber, a versatile, clean-label food ingredient that bakers, chefs, and food manufacturers use to replace eggs, extend shelf life, reduce fats, and clean up labels.

Chiquita

• Chiquita has extensive operations in Latin America.
• On the farm, nothing goes to waste - the company repurposes the non-edible parts of banana plants to cover and protect the soil, helping retain moisture. These plant remains serve as an excellent natural fertilizer. Local wildlife, including animals, insects, and frogs, benefit from feeding in the compost trenches, which promotes biodiversity. In Costa Rica, a digester system transforms plant material into renewable energy to power the facility.
• Chiquita processes imperfect bananas (so-called ugly bananas) into purée at its Costa Rican plants, which handle about 65,000 tons of bananas annually from Panama and Costa Rica. If the company does not use the fruit for purée, it converts it into banana flour. Chiquita does not waste bruised bananas but distributes them to local farmers to feed livestock.

Del Monte Foods:

• In Del Monte Foods’ 2023 Sustainability report, the company stated that, by 2025, one of its goals would be to upcycle food waste to ensure all food reaches its highest purpose.
• In 2023, the company upcycled more than 3 million pounds of surplus food through the UFA.

Fyffes:

• Each month, Fyffes donates up to 2 tons of ripe bananas that only qualify as surplus because they do not meet supermarkets’ specification criteria, from its ripening center in Balbriggan, Dublin, to Giselle Makinde’s enterprise, Cream of the Crop.
• Cream of the Crop specializes in Artisan Gelatos, which are made from surplus food ingredients that the company sources from farmers, growers, and food producers.