Ice-creams? I am sure your mouth has already started watering by now. I mean, who doesn’t like ice-cream? It has been a tasty treat for all age groups since ages. No matter if your stomach gets full eating main course, as they say ”There is always room for a desert”. But, have you ever thought of eating ice-cream from food waste? Sounds weird, right?
But people out there, trust me, it is somewhat going to be true. Coming June, the company name Salt & Straw in Portland will serve ice cream made out of waste. Furthermore, the reason behind it is, to reduce the food waste problems in the US.
“We were really struck by the idea that we waste 40% of our food in the United States, and that children in our cities are going hungry,” Kim Malek, who founded Salt & Straw in 2011 (Fast Company, 2017).
To make this concept work, they are planning to team up with a lot of companies. Mainly, they want to work with farmers who throw away strawberries after they get over rippen. Salt & Straw can use them perfectly in their ice-cream because they freeze them anyways.
So cool, isn’t it? This series is limited to the month of June. Wherein are trying to raise awareness about the potential of food waste as a possible business opportunity.
How did the idea of ice-cream from food waste come?
Food waste is clearly one of the biggest issues plaguing our modern food system. The facts are jarring: 40 percent of the food produced in the U.S. is wasted. Equaling almost $161 billion loss, with another $1 billion spent to dispose it every year. Not to forget the detrimental effects that food waste has on the environment while it decomposes in the landfill.
How they are going to produce ice-cream from food waste?
Salt & Straw plans to play its part by making Second-Steeped Rum Spices and Apple Butter ice creams with spices that were first used in Portland’s East Side Distillery. Salt & Straw plans to re-steep the rum-soaked spices (including peppercorns, vanilla, and orange peel) in cream. Plus, apple butter made from bruised apples will be used which otherwise would have ended up in the trash bin.
During the month of June, the ice cream company will be working with different local organizations who work to save food. This food might have otherwise been thrown out and wasted.
Salt & Straw founder Kim Malek tells Fast Company, “We thought: What if we use our menu in June to shine a light on those agencies and tell their story, and see if we can get our customers and the community at large to be more aware of and supportive of these organizations and the work that they’re doing. We want to show that an apple might be kind of ugly, but that doesn’t mean its not perfectly tasty and should be thrown away”.
Ice-creams in their menu now?
According to Fast Company, the latest series of icy treats from the West Coast eatery will include rum-soaked spices salvaged from the nearby Eastside Distilling. It will include “Moroccan peppercorns, Sri Lankan cinnamon, Mexican vanilla, California orange peel and many more.”
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