Food waste and loss are a growing concern around the world. Food left in the fields. Food not pretty enough for supermarket display cases. The list goes on and on. All too often perfectly good food ends up in landfills or is left to rot in the field. But, is there a role for animal agriculture when it comes to possibly providing a solution to the food waste situation and, if so, what might that look like? 

Joining us in the episode of Feedstuffs in Focus to talk about food waste as an alternative animal feed ingredient is Dr. Jerry Shurson of the University of Minnesota. We also discuss a free online conference focused on fostering a discussion around the challenges and opportunities related to food waste for livestock. That conference is hosted by the University of Minnesota, University of Pennsylvania, Drexel University and Feedstuffs with the goal of communicating and educating those in the feed and feeding industries globally about the value of food waste for livestock in the backdrop of food, climate, and sustainability challenges.

The conference will be held March 26, 27 and 28. Attendee registration for this free event is recommended.

Conference sponsors include the North American Renderers Association, World Wildlife Fund, International Ingredients Corp., American Feed Industry Association and the US Grains Council. This conference is also supported by a USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Competitive Grant.