New Findings: Food Waste for Chicken Feed—Saving Costs and Cutting Emissions
Cutting-edge research conducted by the University of New England (UNE) in Australia has uncovered a groundbreaking solution for the poultry industry. By utilizing food waste as commercial chicken feed, the industry could save a staggering $500 million annually while simultaneously reducing the country’s greenhouse gas emissions by at least 5%.
Collaborating with Food Recycle Ltd. and Poultry Hub Australia, UNE researchers, led by esteemed Postdoctoral Research Fellows Dr. Amy Moss and Dr. Thi Hiep Dao, examined the effects of a waste-based diet on hens.
The discarded food scraps from various establishments like breweries, hospitals, nursing homes, and hospitality venues were repurposed as poultry feed. Their groundbreaking study has been published in the esteemed journal Scientific Reports.
Leveraging Food Recycle Ltd.’s patented production process, the researchers successfully transformed the waste into a granular powder suitable for feeding poultry. Through rigorous testing, they confirmed that the quality of eggs remained high and that the health and welfare of the animals were unaffected.
Dr. Dao explained that adopting waste-based chicken feed on a commercial scale could yield multiple positive outcomes for both the environment and the industry’s financial viability.
With the rising costs of commodities like soybean meal and increasing demand for low-carbon poultry products, the poultry industry faces immense pressure to explore alternative feed ingredients. By recycling food waste into poultry feed, farmers can save on feed costs, enhance feed efficiency, mitigate the environmental impact of poultry production, and meet the growing demand for sustainable and low-carbon poultry products.
In Australia, approximately 65% of poultry production costs are dedicated to feed, while a staggering 7.3 million tons of food are in landfills annually. By redirecting this waste to a cost-effective and sustainable feed option, greenhouse gas emissions related to egg and chicken meat production could be reduced by 76% and 25%, respectively. Financially, the affordability and local availability of commercial waste has the potential to halve feed costs.
Given these compelling benefits, there is optimism that the patented technology behind waste-based feed production will witness widespread adoption within the next five years.
Norm Boyle, Chief Executive Officer of Food Recycle Ltd., revealed ambitious plans for the future.
Food Recycle Ltd. has entrusted OzHarvest Ventures as the Australian and New Zealand Technology Licensee to maximize the potential of the patented and patent-pending technology. They are seeking $20 million in capital to establish the first production facility in Sydney, Australia.
Simultaneously, Food Recycle International Ltd. is working in over 20 countries to introduce this groundbreaking technology globally. Anticipating widespread adoption within five years, recycled food waste feed is poised to become the go-to solution for the worldwide poultry, pig, and aquaculture industries.
Source: PHYS.ORG
