Preservation, upcycling and predictive modeling bolster industry-wide shift toward food waste reduction

Cutting down on food waste isn’t just for the sustainability-minded anymore, as buyers seek more value from their purchases. Environmental and cost consciousness are prompting a strong interest among consumers in food waste reduction. 

F&B companies are responding with a bevy of strategies, including preservation techniques, upcycling, ethical sourcing, and AI-based solutions to minimize food waste and loss in supply chains.

Food Ingredients First speaks to Corbion, Layn Natural Ingredients, and Cargill about how they are embedding food waste reduction strategies into their business models while improving food safety, shelf life, and sustainability.

James Ede, Cargill’s sustainability lead for Food Solutions, tells us that sustainability is a “growing priority” for consumers, who are influencing businesses to rethink food waste and innovation.

“According to our 2024 TrendTracker, 73% of European consumers now expect companies to take stronger action to reduce their environmental impact and to provide clear, transparent information about their sustainability efforts.”

Corbion’s Stephan Dobbelstein, director of business development, EMEA, reiterates that food waste reduction has become a major driver of purchasing decisions, “especially in categories like meat, seafood, and bakery.”

“Consumer research shows that 85% of meat and fish buyers care about sustainability, particularly food waste prevention. This shift is evident in consumer behaviors — over 90% of consumers check their grocery stocks, store products properly, and verify expiration dates before purchasing.”

Preservation targets price, appeal follows

Shelf life extension is one of the most prominent ways companies support sustainable consumption by ensuring food stays fresh and tasty for longer.

For instance, Corbion is leveraging fermentation-based solutions such as buffered vinegar and lactic acid to help stretch the freshness of meat, seafood, bakery, and plant-based products.

“These natural preservatives inhibit microbial growth, ensuring food safety and extending shelf life without compromising taste, texture, or visual appeal. Our solutions also address specific challenges across different food categories, such as preventing spoilage in bakery or inhibiting Listeria in ready-to-eat seafood,” says Dobbelstein.

Mary Joe Fernandez, global VP of sales and business development at Layn.At Layn, the Plantae Preservation range bolsters clean label claims and food safety, with botanical preservatives that extend shelf life without compromising food products’ sensory attributes.

“This delivers a clear value-for-money proposition to brands and consumers while supporting a more sustainable food system,” says Mary Joe Fernandez, global VP of sales and business development at the company.

While addressing price sensitivity can offer companies a competitive edge, the sweet spot lies in balancing cost, shelf life, and visual appeal.

Dobbelstein says Corbion’s natural ingredients can keep colors vibrant, preventing grey-brown discoloration in meat products and maintaining the appealing “just-cooked look” of prepared meat and meat alternatives.

“Seafood stays looking fresh for a longer time while also inhibiting the growth of shelf life bacteria. Because these ingredients are cost-effective and easy to incorporate, manufacturers can protect margins without compromising flavor, texture, or sustainability goals. The result is a fresher-looking, longer-lasting product that minimizes waste and makes it easier for consumers to choose — and keep choosing — more sustainable or alternative foods.”

At Layn, “high-performance” plant-based ingredients support product stability and consumer experience.

“Our solutions utilize natural antioxidants and antimicrobial compounds derived from botanical extracts, providing a mild sensory profile and ease in formulation, with no impact on taste or color in the application. This ensures the final product remains visually appealing while staying fresh longer, minimizing food waste both at the retail and consumer level,” notes Fernandez.

Upcycling and ethical sourcing soar

Upcycling or utilizing side streams by turning them into new products is gaining steady ground among F&B companies.

Ede cites Cargill’s collaboration with Nestlé in the UK, under which the two are repurposing cocoa shells, a by-product from the Minnesota-headquartered company’s York cocoa processing facility, into low-carbon fertilizer.

“This initiative, now in a two-year trial phase, assesses the fertilizer’s performance on crop yield, soil health, and greenhouse gas emissions. If successful, the program could produce up to 7,000 metric tons of low-carbon fertilizer annually, representing roughly 25% of Nestlé UK’s total wheat fertilizer needs,” he says.

“This is a key step in building circularity into agricultural systems — recycling nutrients from food production waste streams to reduce emissions and deliver more sustainable, cost-effective options for farmers.”

Meanwhile, Layn is exploring and utilizing repurposed ingredients, focusing on getting the most out of agricultural raw materials by “recovering and valorizing by-products from plant processing that would otherwise be discarded,” explains Fernandez.

“For example, we source botanical compounds from grape seed, olive leaves, tea cuttings, and fruit skins, which are often considered waste in traditional processing systems. These materials still contain high levels of bioactive compounds, including polyphenols, flavonoids, and natural antioxidants, which we extract and standardize into high-performance ingredients for food, beverage, animal nutrition, and supplement applications,” she continues.

While food safety remains a key challenge in adopting upcycled food, the company tests all upcycled ingredients, ensuring they are produced under stringent quality control standards.Cargill is collaborating with Nestlé in the UK to repurpose cocoa shells.

However, for upcycling to be truly sustainable, ethical sourcing practices should ensure that base ingredients, such as fruits and vegetables, are acquired sustainably before they are upcycled.

“By implementing a vertically integrated supply chain — from seed to solution — we ensure full traceability and control over its processes, enabling the company to uphold high ethical standards and minimize waste throughout production,” Fernandez highlights.

Dobbelstein says Corbion follows a similar practice, prioritizing sourcing ingredients from “responsible, sustainable sources to support both environmental goals and food security.”

Beyond F&B, Cargill is demonstrating how used cooking oil can be transformed into biodiesel and other products through the Realiza program in Brazil.

“This initiative helps reduce the environmental footprint of our product lifecycle by offering a sustainable disposal route for used oil. In 2024 alone, it collected over 2.1 million liters of oil through 3,535 collection points and over 17,000 service visits,” reveals Ede.

AI and the future of food waste

AI advancements are changing how companies study consumer demand for F&B. For example, machine learning has made it easier to identify or predict areas of food waste, and optimize preservation strategies in real time.

“The Corbion Natural Mold Inhibition Model and Listeria Control Model provide manufacturers with data-backed insights to improve formulation decisions, ensuring products maintain quality and safety throughout their shelf life,” Dobbelstein points out.

“These tools reduce the need for prolonged shelf life testing, streamlining the product development cycle and enabling faster go-to-market timelines. Additionally, they allow us to predict spoilage risks and optimize factors like pH and water activity, ultimately helping manufacturers reduce food waste and improve resource efficiency.”

Supply chain efficiency is a focal point for Layn. Fernandez tells us the company has invested US$148 million to enhance data collection and analysis.

She adds that the future of food waste will heavily rely on natural preservation and precision agriculture as the industry harnesses digital platforms’ “enormous potential” to improve forecasting, inventory control, and distribution efficiency.

Dobbelstein agrees: “Emerging technologies like predictive modeling, AI, and fermentation-based solutions are poised to play a significant role in reducing food waste on a global scale.”

Cargill emphasizes that every step counts, whether through circular agriculture, sustainable packaging, or repurposing by-products into new solutions.

“We’re focused on reducing food waste at every stage — from farm to fork. It’s not just about meeting today’s consumer expectations but about building a resilient, responsible food system for the future,” concludes Ede.