Purpose
Major retailers such as Tesco have committed to eliminating food waste from their operations – and they are calling on suppliers to do the same.
As part of ABP’s commitment to reducing waste, we are using protein and bone materials – by products from the beef cutting and trimming process that are unsuitable for human consumption – to create bonemeal ingredients for our petfood business C&D Foods.
Action
Working closely with Tesco, ABP developed a comprehensive framework to identify and reprocess the advanced proteins and bones generated in the production of the supermarket’s beef products. Rather than becoming waste, they are now carefully sterilised, cooked and refined to create high grade bonemeal and protein.
These ingredients are invaluable for C&D Foods, which uses the mineral rich components to create products that align with strict nutritional standards for cats and dogs. The partnership with Tesco involves regular audits, data sharing and refinement of waste tracking processes to ensure materials are captured efficiently, consistently and with maximum sustainability benefit.
Impact
The collaboration between ABP, Tesco and C&D Foods has delivered significant circularity benefits. The most immediate impact has been the reduction of food waste within ABP’s supply chain, supporting Tesco’s ambition to ensure no edible food or usable by product is discarded.
The flow into C&D Foods provides additional impact. By using ABP derived bonemeal and protein meals in its formulations, C&D Foods can avoid sourcing these ingredients from external suppliers – reducing transport emissions and lowering reliance on virgin raw materials.
The initiative ensures nutrients from the primary meat processing stream remain within the wider food system, while eliminating the carbon impact associated with disposal of by-products.