➥ The holiday stretch.
In years past, I was — what to like to call — the “familial slave” when it comes to cooking. Now I’m known as the Grinch.
What I couldn’t get out of my head is one factor:
Waste. Last week, we talked about reducing waste as consumers.
Now, it’s time for our Food&Bev R&D minds to step in.
When you peel a few potatoes at home, the pile of scraps isn't a big deal. But when you are a manufacturer processing 10,000 lbs of potatoes a day, that pile of scraps gets massive.
Suddenly, you aren't just throwing away trash. You are throwing away ingredients you paid for—and then paying someone else to haul them away.
➥ Food News
What's New in the World of Food?
A surge in food recalls — the highest since 2020
FDA is changing the definition of “healthy”
Can the right boxes revolutionize sustainable packaging?
Ripple Foods, new food color gets millions in Venture Funding
➥ Our Sponsor
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Because it’s new (and already going viral), it will sell out fast.
➥ Small Bites
Is your "waste" lost revenue?
When you are developing a recipe in a test kitchen, a bowl of vegetable peels or a liter of strained whey feels negligible.
But when we take that concept to a manufacturing facility and scale it to 5,000 lbs, that "bowl of scraps" turns into tons of biological waste.
Suddenly, you aren't just losing ingredients you paid for—you’re paying a waste management firm to haul them away.
You may have read about the rise of Anaerobic digestion (AD). It’s a fascinating process where microorganisms break down food byproducts in an oxygen-free environment to create biogas.
Did you know?
It is currently transforming how the industry handles unavoidable waste:
Large manufacturers are piping byproducts directly into energy generation.
Retailers are diverting expired goods to power grids rather than landfills.
It is a massive improvement over the landfill.
But as a product developer, we look at that biogas process and see something else: Lost Yield.
The R&D Perspective: Designing Out the Waste
What is the most sustainable product?
It’s not the one with the best disposal method.
It’s the one that utilizes its inputs most efficiently.
Before you sign a contract to haul your byproducts to a digester, we challenge you to look at your formulation and process flow again:
The Yield Audit: Can we adjust the processing method (e.g., high-shear mixing or enzymatic treatment) to incorporate fibrous material into the final product without ruining texture?
The "Upcycle" Pivot: Is that "waste" stream actually a raw material for a secondary SKU? (We’ve seen successful brands born entirely from the byproduct of another).
The Process Tweak: Are you losing margin due to inefficient equipment sizing or outdated filtration methods?
The Bottom Line
Anaerobic digestion is a vital infrastructure for the "unavoidable."
But for a CPG brand, your first line of defense is smart formulation.
Sustainability starts from the beginning of product development.
If you can design the waste out of the product before it ever reaches the factory floor, you protect both the environment and your margins.
Need to improve your manufacturing yields? We help brands look at the "boring" parts of production—waste streams, line efficiencies, and ingredient utilization—to find hidden value.
The most resilient food products of the future will:
minimize avoidable waste
support responsible handling of unavoidable waste
align with emerging sustainability infrastructure
meet consumer demand for meaningful environmental impact
Helping companies navigate that complexity calmly, clearly, and strategically is exactly what we’re here for.
Food doesn’t exist in isolation.
Neither should product development.
➥ Know Your Food
Food Science Tip of the Week
Microbes make better biogas when your food scraps have the right balance of “greens” and “browns.” Greens = coffee grounds, fruit peels, veggie scraps. Browns = paper towels, cardboard bits. When you mix the two, the microbes stay happy and produce cleaner, stronger renewable energy. If you use compost or an AD drop-off, try freezing your greens and adding a little brown material when you toss them in, keeping the system running smoothly.
Inspired to develop a new product? Let's talk!
It’s easy to look at a dumpster
… and see a disposal bill. It takes a different kind of discipline to look at it and see a flaw in the process or a missed opportunity for a new product line.
Whether you’re looking to turn your waste into energy or—better yet—turn it back into profit, we’re here to help you navigate the complexity.
Here’s to cleaner labels and tighter lines in 2025.
Until next week,
– Dave
P.S. Did you know 20% of the population can’t taste bitter?