Creating tasty flavors from leftover food

Tyler Malek's ice cream parlors in Los Gatos, California, are actively embracing the upcycling movement by crafting premium ice cream flavors from leftover food. Malek, the head ice cream maker at Salt & Straw in Portland, Oregon, ingeniously utilizes whey left behind by yogurt makers in upstate New York to create a tantalizing lemon curd flavor. Additionally, he incorporates remnants of rice and grains from beer brewing to infuse the chocolate barley milk flavor with a delightful and creamy taste. The upcycled food trend is gaining momentum as consumers grow increasingly conscious of the sourcing of their food and its environmental impact. In the United States alone, more than 35 million tons of food are wasted annually, amounting to a staggering cost of over $200 billion for the national economy.

To combat this issue, the Upcycled Food Association has introduced an "Upcycling Certified" seal, which certifies products that effectively reduce food waste in their supply chain. Currently, around 450 products bear this label, including those from Renewal Mill, an Oakland-based company that transforms byproducts from plant-based milk into baking flour and other essential pantry items. Renewal Mill proudly features the association's seal on their products. The upcycling movement extends beyond ice cream parlors and natural grocery stores, as restaurants like Shuggie's Trash Pie in San Francisco also actively incorporate upcycled ingredients such as unattractive mushrooms, misshapen peppers, and meat offcuts to create exceptional and flavorful dishes.

[With information sourced from AP News]