British multinational retailer Marks & Spencer and Adnams, a British brewery, have teamed up to launch a unique line of beer called 'Used Our Loaf' that makes use of discarded bread crusts from the retailer’s sandwiches.
The Adnams Used Our Loaf line includes three kinds of beer: Triple English Hop Southwold Pale Ale, Early Grey Pale Ale, and Raspberry Fruit Beer. The first batch of beer is said to have used more than three-quarters of a ton of surplus bread, plus three times as much barley, making for a finished product that's about a quarter bread waste.
Beyond brewing beer, Marks & Spencer and Adnams are further putting the spent grains to good use by sharing them with farms to be used as animal feed.
Key Themes Behind This Trend
- Sustainable Brewing
- Many food-related industries can examine the potential of upcycling surplus food as a business practice.
- Circular Economy
- Various industries can innovate by reducing waste and repurposing discarded materials to create new products and services.
- Collaborative Efforts
- Joint ventures can be tapped to entice partnerships which can contribute to sustainable initiatives that benefit both parties involved.
Where This Applies
- Brewing Industry
- Breweries are experimenting with waste reduction techniques by using surplus food to create beer.
- Food Retail Industry
- Food retailers can move towards the practice of upcycling surplus food to create new products, thereby decreasing waste in the long term.
- Agriculture Industry
- Animal feed created from spent grains and bread waste created from brewing processes can have a sustainable impact on the agriculture industry.
