Arla Foods Ingredients partners with ENORM to harness upcycling power of insects
Arla Foods Ingredients has teamed up with ENORM , Northern Europe ’ s largest insect farm , in a partnership that will significantly reduce food waste .
Delactosed permeate ( DLP ) is a residual dairy stream generated in large volumes during lactose production . Most DLP is currently used as material for biogas production , which is a less preferable option than re-use for animal feed according to the food waste hierarchy set out in the EU ’ s Waste Framework Directive .
Arla Foods Ingredients has long been investigating ways to address this challenge , but DLP ’ s composition has previously made it difficult to use in traditional animal feed . This is about to change thanks to the larvae of the black soldier fly . Currently used by ENORM for animal feed , they also offer huge potential as a healthy and sustainable source of protein for humans .
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A commitment to circularity is at the heart of Arla Foods Ingredients ’ business model .
Having developed the capacity to turn DLP into nutritious feed for the larvae , Arla Foods Ingredients has been supplying ENORM with DLP for trial production for several years . However , today ( 6th December , 2023 ) ENORM is opening a major new facility in Flemming , Denmark , and gearing up for full-scale production .
As a result , the amount of DLP that Arla Foods Ingredients supplies to ENORM will increase substantially – to 15 truckloads a week from early 2024 . When the new facility is up and running , it will be able to produce 100 tonnes of larvae daily – enough for more than 10,000 tonnes of insect meal .
Because its destination will be feed rather than biogas , the partnership will allow DLP to move up in the waste hierarchy . Arla Foods Ingredients estimates that the partnership will enable its Danmark Protein facility to achieve a significant ( 16 %) reduction in food waste .
Sønke Møller , Senior Sales Developer at Arla Foods Ingredients , said : “ A commitment to circularity is at the heart of Arla Foods Ingredients ’ business model . So we ’ re hugely excited to be partnering with ENORM as it works to revolutionise the provision of protein and create more sustainable food systems . This collaboration – which will see a bystream previously classified as food waste transformed into something with potentially huge nutritional value – is a fantastic example of companies working together to make upcycling a reality .”
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