SPECIAL STORY FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE December 2023 65 nology and innovation are just coming around to flexible packaging and we need to see more infrastructure in place to accelerate in this area. Most pet food packaging cannot be put out for curbside collection as processors have not been able to find a solution to handle it once it is collected. This is an area we are currently researching here at Cargill, and industry-wide work in progress. LOOKING INSIDE THE BOWL An increasing number of pet parents are concerned about the ingredients in their pets' food and are actively seeking more natural and organic options. In response, we’re seeing a lot of manufacturers incorporate more natural ingredients such as whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and meat into their products. However, it’s important to ensure that sustainability goals meet the pet’s needs (such as great taste and nutritional value) and the consumer needs (the right price point). There are some great sustainability stories that can be told within the context of traditional ingredients – even those that hold a negative consumer perception. For example, chicken byproduct and plasma are full of nutrients, and would go to landfill if they were not used as ingredients in pet food, thereby reducing waste. Some manufacturers are also using upcycled ingredients such as spent grains, vegetable pulp, and unsold produce to make pet food, helping to reduce food waste and create a circular economy. One of the most exciting frontiers in this area is the use of novel ingredients, such as black soldier fly larvae, krill, crickets and invasive Asian carp. There are many advantages to using alternative protein sources as they boast a good nutrient profile and have additional health benefits besides sustainability. They also have the potential to reduce competition with human-grade, human-acceptable food ingredients. At Cargill, we partnered with Innovafeed to explore the possibility of tapping into insect protein – which can be produced using a fraction of the land, water, and resources required with lower emissions than traditional production – across our Animal Health & Nutrition Business. While our initial collaboration has focused on aquaculture, last year we announced the expansion of our partnership to include more species, starting with the use of oil derived from insects in swine and poultry feed (not yet on market in the US). Pet food is another area that is under review and considered a key driver for ‘what’s next’ within the sector. LOOKING AT THE SUPPLY CHAIN Sustainability is core to Cargill’s purpose to nourish the world in a safe, responsible, and sustainable way. We have the size and scope to implement sustainability practices throughout our supply chain, helping to reduce the overall environmental impact. Our aim is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in our supply chain by 30% per ton of product sold by 2030. Consumers are increasingly interested in understanding where their pet's food comes from, how it was produced, and what impact it has on the environment. Traceability within the supply chain has long been prevalent within the pet food sector, with safety concerns ensuring that companies can adequately trace the origins of all the ingredients used, back to the supplier. We are uniquely positioned to deeply understand sustainability value chain issues, which shapes our holistic approach and ability to solve sustainability challenges for our customers. This ranges from certified carbon offsets, improvement projects relating to land, water, energy and human rights, and certifications. Across our Animal Health & Nutrition portfolio, we’re working to ‘do more with less’ to feed the
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