The National Chicken Council (NCC) submitted comments to the Environmental Protection Agency, underscoring the chicken industry's commitment to minimizing food waste. NCC emphasized key points for enhancing the Draft National Strategy for Reducing Food Loss and Waste and Recycling Organics:
Byproduct Utilization: Chickens efficiently up-cycle byproducts like bakery meal, animal proteins and distillers dried grains into energy-providing protein, reducing waste
Rendering Process: Poultry processing facilities use rendering to repurpose inedible parts into nutrient-dense items or organic fertilizer, minimizing waste
Automation and Transportation: Technological advancements reduce miscuts and improve yield, ensuring more meat reaches the food supply. Ongoing advancements in AI will further minimize food waste
Despite these efforts, NCC raised concerns about regulatory hurdles contributing to food waste:
Surplus Hatchery Eggs: Urging FDA to reconsider rules preventing surplus hatchery eggs from entering the breaking egg market, leading to unnecessary landfilling of nutritious eggs
Proposed Salmonella Framework: Critiquing USDA’s FSIS proposed framework, expressing concerns about its impact on production delays and unnecessary discarding of safe chicken
NCC's comments concluded by urging agencies to take action without additional resources, emphasizing the potential to reduce waste, lower food prices and increase availability for consumers through cooperative efforts and innovative solutions.
