Yiming Sui

Repositioning Animal By-products into Food Loss and Waste: From Environmental and Nutritional Perspective

Food loss and waste (FLW) has become a significant environmental issue in recent years. However, definitions of FLW remain a subject of ongoing debate which lead to many foods not being classified as FLW due to regional disparities, customs, and religious practices. Chicken by-products are considered delicious ingredients in many countries, but not include the UK. Instead, they are rendered to produce poultry meal or biofuel, or processed into petfood. Only 1% of total chicken by-products are consumed by people, which is a great waste saying from food perspective. Moreover, the nutritional value of chicken by-products is not significantly lower than that of commonly consumed chicken meat. Additionally, the by-products contain higher levels of trace elements such as iron, zinc, and copper which are all essential micronutrients for the human body, which play a vital role in human health. This is a waste as well saying from nutritional perspective.