Reducing Waste & Increasing Profit: Upcycled Food Assoc. on the NexxtLevel Brands Podcast

99% of people agree that food waste is a problem.  The pandemic has accelerated many trends around the world, and reducing food waste is now at the forefront of the movement to reduce greenhouse gases and global warming.  Thousands of major CPG brands and companies worldwide have “sustainability” goals that need to be met.  One way they can meet these goals and increase profits is by using upcycled food ingredients.

Join me for an eye-opening and extremely inspiring talk with Turner Wyatt, CEO of the Upcycled Food Association.  So far, they have ‘certified’ 200 products (just within the last nine months) that in aggregate have saved 800 MILLION POUNDS of food from going to waste.  Imagine what those numbers will look like once they get through the next 200 products that are on deck to be certified and officially put back into the food chain in other CPG products.

The NexxtLevel Brands Podcast is hosted by G. Steven Cleere, Founder and “Chief Pot Stirrer” of NexxtLevel Brands. This show focuses on disruptors and thought-leaders from the Entrepreneurial Food, Beverage, and CPG Industry, but we also share tips from veterans and key suppliers that may help fellow CPG professionals achieve their goals.

Discussion Points

• Tell us exactly what makes a product “upcycled”?
• The pent-up demand we saw at the ExpoWest show
• Every person throws away an average of $1500 a year in food waste
• Your start was in food waste recovery, tell us how that came about?
• How did you get from Denver Food Rescue to this?
• The UFA was formed in 2019, what has the reaction been so far?
• Over 200 businesses in 15 countries are now part of UFA
• The “C-Suite” decisions (by the top execs– CEO, CFO, COO etc.) around sustainability
• Retailers have so much power – just by putting upcycled food on their shelves
• The Food Waste Funder Circle offers information, opportunities for investment and education
• How is the UFA managing exponential growth, and what do you see in the next 5 years?
• The UFA goal is at least “one upcycled product in every aisle of every grocery store”
• If you’re worried about using “upcycled food” – you already eat it, in many different types of products
• The impact of “empty shelves” at the grocer during the pandemic hit us all
• Words to grow by: Let’s all take a moment before every meal to be grateful for our food

Resources:

UpCycledFood.org

Turner Wyatt LinkedIn

NexxtLevel Brands Website

Steven Cleere LinkedIn