Food experts, chefs team up to turn food waste into feed for sustainable chickens

An agriculture secretary under George W. Bush, a policy advisor and family chef for Barack Obama, and a chef and restaurant owner are joining forces with a company focused on curbing carbon emissions by feeding chickens with feed made from grocery store waste.

The trio, which includes former Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman, Obama policy advisor and chef to the Obama family Sam Kass, and chef Tom Colicchio, is pairing up with Do Good Foods – a company collecting waste from 450 markets across the country to make the chicken feed.

“The company’s closed loop system collects foods such as fruits, vegetables, and meats after human donations can occur, and upcycles them into a nutrient-dense animal feed to create sustainable animal protein,” Do Good Foods said in a news release.

The company said its first production facility in Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania has the capacity to convert 60,000 tons of excess food annually and that it will replicate the process across the U.S. over the next five years.

Kass, who reportedly serves as Do Good’s chief strategy officer, said at a roundtable with company founders Matthew and Justin Kamine that scalability of the company’s plan will be the marker of its success.

“We see a clear path to solving the problem of retail food waste,” Kass said, according to Fence Post. “That is a big deal. We could really make a massive impact.”

Do Good Chicken, the company’s sustainable, carbon reduced chicken is expected to hit supermarket shelves next year, and Colicchio said at the roundtable he intends to serve the Do Good Chicken at his restaurants.

“This is more than just a business. It is culturally important,” Colicchio said.

Do Good Foods Launches Game-changing Infrastructure Platform

Do Good Foods Launches Game-changing Infrastructure Platform That Combats Climate Change Through Upcycling Grocery Store Food Waste. The first-of-its-kind system is backed by a $169M investment by asset manager Nuveen.

The Kamine Family, an established pioneer with a 40-year history of building large-scale infrastructure projects nationwide, today announced the launch of Do Good Foods. Backed by a $169M investment from Nuveen, Do Good Foods is the first scalable solution to eliminating the 48 billion pounds of food waste generated by grocery stores each year. The company’s closed loop system collects foods such as fruits, vegetables, and meats after human donations can occur, and upcycles them into a nutrient-dense animal feed to create sustainable animal protein.

“When we launch our mission driven consumer food brand, people can simply eat some delicious chicken and have significant impact on food waste and climate change.”

The first production facility in Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania has the capacity to take in and convert 160 tons of surplus food from approximately 450 grocery stores every day, and about 60,000 tons annually. The company will replicate the model across the country over the next 5 years.

Hal, Matt, and Justin Kamine co-founded Do Good Foods as part of their mission to develop solutions to critical climate challenges and build a better planet.

“We need actionable solutions to our massive environmental problems, and we need them now. We can’t afford to wait 10 years or 20 years,” said co-CEO Matt Kamine. “The beauty of Do Good Foods is that it has immediate economic and environmental impact by driving us toward a more sustainable food system for all.”

Furthermore, Do Good Foods co-CEO Justin Kamine says it was important to the family to also empower consumers to be able to do their part for the planet simply by making a delicious, impactful food choice:

“Food waste is one of the biggest – yet solvable – catastrophes as we waste approximately 40% of the food grown in this country. To put it into perspective, that is like buying five bags of groceries and throwing two of them in the garbage as you walk out the door. We know consumers are becoming more eco-conscious and want to waste less. Through Do Good Foods, we are providing consumers with an easy way to do good for their plate and the planet.”

Do Good Foods has attracted some of the nation’s largest grocery retailers and thought leaders who are dedicated to unlocking scalable solutions to food waste, including Sam Kass, President Obama’s former chef and nutrition policy advisor, and former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Ann Veneman.

“As a chef who has also had a seat at the policy table, I’ve worked with governments, NGOs, corporations and academics to solve food waste. Do Good Foods will make an impact on this issue at a scale that we have not yet seen,” said Kass, Do Good Foods Chief Strategy Officer and United Nations 12.3 food waste champion. “When we launch our mission driven consumer food brand, people can simply eat some delicious chicken and have significant impact on food waste and climate change.”

The first product, Do Good Chicken, a sustainable, carbon reduced chicken, will begin rolling out in supermarkets, restaurants, and other foodservice locations around the country early next year.

Do Good Foods was created by the Kamine Family, founders of the Kamine Development Corporation which has built, owned and operated more than $3.5 Billion in infrastructure for 40 years. The mission of Do Good Foods is to take a scaled infrastructure approach to eliminating grocery store food waste in the United States. This first-of-its kind closed loop system is made possible through investors, retailers, growers, and a best-in-class team.