Last year, the cereal giant Kellogg's began turning its unused Corn Flakes into a popular beer, the “Throwaway IPA”, created in partnership with Seven Bro7hers Brewery in northern England.
Earlier this month, the company went even further by doing the same thing with two of its other famous cereals. When the rice-based flakes used to make Coco Pops or Rice Krispies did not meet the strict standards required before entering supermarkets, they would usually end up in landfill. Now, the overcooked, discoloured, or slightly imperfect grains go into brewing the new “Sling-It Stout” and “Cast-Off Pale Ale”.
In Kellogg’s latest Corporate Responsibility Report, CEO Steve Cahillane said “Today, more than ever, society places broad expectations and sizable demands on corporate citizens, including Kellogg's. We believe this is right.”
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, nearly one third of all food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted, and contributes to global greenhouse gas emissions. By keeping thousands of tonnes of unused grain from reaching landfill, Kellogg's is reducing this impact while also preventing the waste of resources that have gone into production. For each kilogram of brew, roughly 80 kilograms of the cereal is used to replace malted barley.
Building on strategies to prevent food waste comes as part of the company’s Better Days Initiative, which has set many environmental and social goals to achieve by 2030, such as:
- Support 1 million farmers in creating climate-smart farming solutions
- Help 375 million people suffering from food insecurity through donations
- Implement sustainable packaging
- Source all of its ingredients responsibly
- Cut greenhouse gas emissions by 45 percent and reduce supply chain emissions by 15 percent
The company is already making progress towards meeting many of these goals, with their latest data showing that its greenhouse gas emissions have been cut by nearly 13 percent overall since 2015.
Positive Action
- For information on food recycling, composting and how to reduce the food waste produced by your household, visit RecyclingNearYou.
- For businesses that regularly or occasionally has leftover food to dispose of, contact one of the many food rescue organisations now operating around the country. OzHarvest, Second Biteand FoodBank are three national organisations, but there are also many smaller, local services available.
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Positive Environment News has been compiled using publicly available information. Planet Ark does not take responsibility for the accuracy of the original information and encourages readers to check the references before using this information for their own purposes.