SUSTAINABILITY FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE December 2025 69 “While animal feed created from recycled food may be a new concept to some, it’s an established product that’s been used for decades. It’s consumed by animals across the U.S. each year and fuels the larger circular economy, while also offering benefits to stakeholders across the food system. Farmers and ranchers get safe, nutritionally similar animal feed for the same price or less than the feed they currently use. Their animals get a nourishing food source that meets their nutritional needs and has a reduced risk of mycotoxins.” Farmers are famously resourceful. They work tirelessly to create maximum yields from minimal inputs. However, the food they work so hard to produce often isn’t treated with the same level of care. Today, one-third of all food in the U.S. goes uneaten, according to the USDA. Much of this uneaten food is still highly nutritious, containing the same starches, sugars, fats, and proteins found in conventional feed ingredients. The good news is that much of this food does not have to end up in landfills. Across the country, organic recycling companies are transforming uneaten food into high-quality feed ingredients and other agricultural inputs. When recovered and properly processed, this animal feed can become a consistent and reliable ingredient for livestock nutrition. Creating a second life for unsold or uneaten food doesn’t just ease the burden on landfills – it benefits farmers and ranchers. It gives them a premium feed option at an affordable price point, while helping protect the land they depend on by supporting a circular agricultural economy. A HIGH-QUALITY, LOWER-COST FEED OPTION Animal feed made from uneaten food is produced with the same level of rigor, care, and oversight as any other animal feed product. As demand grows for lower cost and lower carbon feed options, these ingredients offer a few key advantages that have made them a go-to feed option for many producers: It’s a nutritionally balanced food source for animals. For example, feed created from bakery goods provides a drop-in replacement for corn in dairy and feeder cattle, hog and poultry rations. These blends typically provide predictable levels of dry matter, starch, sugar, and energy that align closely with the nutritional profile of corn. Their consistent particle size and palatability make them easy to incorporate into existing formulations. USING UNEATEN FOOD TO CREATE QUALITY ANIMAL FEED AND REDUCE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT Will Clark Vice President of Commodity Trading Denali
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