E6: From jet fuel to beer: the wonderful world of co-products and upcycled food

Did you know that if food waste were a country, it would be the third largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the world, or that a significant amount of food is lost before it leaves the farm? In this episode, we take a closer look at how the U.S. food supply chain is reducing, upcycling, re-using, and eliminating food and postharvest waste.

We speak to Dr. Josette Lewis, Chief Scientific Officer at the Almond Board of California about the almond industry's research into new, productive uses for those parts of the plant that might otherwise be thrown away, such as the hulls, the shells, and even the orchards themselves at their end of life. Jet fuel, beer, water filters, and peat moss to grow mushrooms – these are just some of the many applications in use and under development, as U.S. Department of Agriculture research leader Bill Orts explains.

Also, in this episode, we chat with food scientist Maddison Gurrola about how a leading brewer is upcycling spent brewer’s grain into novel ingredients. And we hear from founder Molly Morse whose start-up is transforming methane gas into a biodegradable polymer that’s a replacement for conventional plastics.