INTRODUCTION:

Feeding more people with high-quality and sustainable food while keeping all the best practices to reduce wastage and increase efficiency to respect the environment. Here is the key challenge to be faced by the food & feed value chains for the next decades, in the current moment, more than ever. To optimize the use of our resources while reducing emissions and the environmental impact of food, we must consider circular ways of production. This is why the processing of former foodstuffs represents an opportunity for safe, sustainable, and nutritious feed ingredients production.

ABOUT EFFPA, AN ASSOCIATION IN THE HEART OF A CIRCULAR FOOD PROCESS

EFFPA, the European Former Foodstuff Processors Association, represents national associations and companies specialized in the processing of former foodstuffs into animal feed. In Europe, approximately 5 million tonnes of processed former foodstuffs are annually used in animal feed. EFFPA represents the sector at EU level since 2014 but it also represents the interests of observer members outside Europe. 

Typical former foodstuffs used in our sector are coming from the production of bread, biscuits, breakfast cereals, crisps, cake and dough trimmings, chocolates, and other confectionaries. They may include also single ingredients and semi-finished products until the end-finished food product. They were originally manufactured with the intention to be sold on the human consumption market, but in case of any reason like an unperfect product (shape, packaging, weight, ingredients, processing mistake, labeling, etc…) that cannot harm animal feed safety, they are no longer considered suitable for human consumption but perfectly safe after proper processing as a feed ingredient for animals. Nevertheless, these are valuable nutritional resources and are extremely useful and sustainable in animal feed.

Once collected, former foodstuffs are transformed into standardized and safe feed ingredients. The main customers of former foodstuff processors are compound feed manufacturers (and sometimes big farmers who directly produce their feed).

Our philosophy: close the loop in the food/feed chain while adding value and reducing potential food wastage thanks to valorizing them in safe and quality feed ingredients, for a sustainable animal food chain

The two principles of the EU General Food Law, responsibility and traceability, are essential to EFFPA members. It is of vital importance that former foodstuff processors can hold their suppliers accountable for the integrity of the purchased materials. A food producer needs to act as a feed business operator when it decides to sell its former foodstuffs as animal feed, whether it is to a former foodstuff processor or a livestock farmer. Only when a supplier can guarantee the quality and traceability of a former foodstuff, should it enter the feed chain.

Processing former foodstuffs into animal feed is the most effective measure to retain the nutritional value of these materials in the food value chain, when direct human food use (food donations) is not feasible. Their purpose in animal nutrition as a partial alternative to cereal grains such as wheat and maize, and other traditional ingredients like oil seeds means that they allow for the preservation of significant surface of agricultural lands. The estimated 5 million tons per year in Europe of former foodstuffs currently processed is equivalent to app 570 000 hectares of maize on an energy content-based equivalent (this area corresponds to 56% of the arable land of the Netherlands and 129% of the arable land of Ireland based on Eurostat 2020). Processing former foodstuffs into feed is also an effective way to prevent and reduce food waste and food losses.  As an active member of the EU platform on Food waste and food losses, EFFPA is committed to the “Waste hierarchy”, a recommendation for the most sustainable ways to prevent, re-use, and recycle food losses and food waste. By keeping the nutritional value of former foodstuffs within the food value chain, former foodstuffs processing is considered one of the most preferable options (after, of course, the re-use for human consumption).

The current Ukraine situation stressed in Europe and in the world, the need to keep feed security as a priority. Shortages of feed ingredients are threatening food value chains. This statement reinforces the need of increasing EU feed autonomy. As nutrients sources, former foodstuffs are a way to contribute to this feed autonomy by ensuring a feed material supply for farmers. 

CHALLENGES TO FACE

While former foodstuffs are an excellent feed material, we see growing interest from the bioenergy sector to use these products as inputs to produce biogas. However, considering the strategic objectives of EU energy autonomy, political signals are now showing an increasing willingness to allow the use of biomass fractions we consider “former foodstuffs”. This ambition might lead to a situation where bioenergy produced from former foodstuffs could benefit from public incentives while feed use of former foodstuffs is only driven by the market. This unfair competition would represent a step backward for a sustainable European bioeconomy following indications made by FAO and EU Commission. EFFPA strongly advocates for maintaining a clear legal and economically fair distinction between materials dedicated and allowed for feed use and those for energy production. By doing so, we ensure bioenergy production & feed use of former foodstuffs remain complementary.

If processing former foodstuffs into feed might be a solution to produce sustainable food while reducing food waste, it is still not always known as a way of valorization by the potential suppliers. Thus, the sector needs to raise awareness on the potential of this process with former foodstuffs suppliers (manufacturers and retailers). To do so, we have to develop a holistic business approach facilitating feed use of former foodstuffs. This holistic approach must also include the customer level, by tackling market obstacles for former foodstuffs that limit their use in compound feed manufacturing.

Despite these challenges, the potential for the development of former foodstuff processing is very high. The sustainable and high-quality features of these products are an answer to livestock production’s long-term challenges that could unlock the potential for growth at the supplier level. EFFPA members are committed to give their contribution to a more sustainable food/feed system and very proud of it.

Even if the sector is about 40 years old, and developed expertise and know-how in logistics and specific processing techniques, EFFPA is looking for an increase in membership because but above the differences between national levels, the association provides added value to its members facing together common challenges in a precompetitive perspective. EFFPA welcomes any former foodstuff processor willing to join or know more about our association.

EFFPA members in fact constantly grow in expertise not only in feed manufacturing or feed safety but also in sustainability topics such as LCA, green labeling, and communication. Deeply convinced by the relevance and the power of collective mobilization to face these challenges, EFFPA is committed to a “Together Stronger” approach.