Three Dutch companies have received a 27,500 Euro grant to explore whether they can use discarded fruits and vegetables for animal feed. "These are products of the best quality but, for example, show external abnormalities," says Arno Heuvelmans, on behalf of Nijsen / Granico involved in the project. "A cucumber that is slightly bent, or light instead of dark. But it can also be unsold produce on a saturated market."
From biscuits to animal feed
Sugar and confectionery
If it were up to Heuvelmans, these sub-streams are now converted into animal feed. In Nijsen / Granico part flows from bakeries and sugar and confectionery industry are already being used for this purpose. "These high-quality products (in terms of ingredients) normally go to the landfill or biogas (energy generation). We can unpack them and process them into a product with high nutritional value for livestock."
But does a cow or a pig develop a craving for paprika or cucumber?
“It’s all about nutrition,” says Heuvelmans. “Nijsen / Granico, along with Dinnissen Process Technology and Vitelia from Oirlo, is now investigating whether they can utilize discarded vegetables for animal feed. Greenhouse vegetables may very well prove eligible. We are now working on the inventory. We look at what the possibilities are and what substances (vitamins, antioxidants) lend themselves to such a conversion. It's really just the starting phase. "
Nijsen/Granico B.V.
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