Environmental focus at BioFach 2023: Wild harvesting strategies and upcycling trends to reduce waste

20 Feb 2023 --- Environmental sustainability was in the spotlight at BioFach 2023 in Nuremberg, Germany, as the fully organic trade show gathered companies from around the world. As healthy products are trending, health awareness has expanded beyond human health as planet-friendly products are increasingly important and companies are responding.

NutritionInsight spoke with Inge Lok, chief operating officer at Grounded, about The Honeybush Company – one of the group’s operating companies, on the harvesting processes for the African antioxidant plant.

We also met with Danish-based Reduced, who told us about its local production and low carbon footprint. Lastly, we visited Ariana Holding, a German laboratory company testing foods to ensure safety and accuracy.

Hand processed honeybush
Lok told us about honeybush herbal tea’s wild harvesting and health benefits. 

“It’s sustainably sourced, fully traceable and organically certified honeybush tea. Honeybush is a part of the fynbos species grown in a biodiversity hotspot on the southern tip of Africa. It is an indigenous ingredient with 36 different species within the honeybush range, all with different flavor profiles,” explains Lok.

The wild harvesting process of the honeybush protects the natural resource.She says that the company does both sustainable wild harvesting throughout the area and cultivation based on organic and regenerative farming practices. 

“It works on a rotation of four years to give the resource time to regenerate before harvesting. It’s harvested by hand through specific instructions of where to harvest to protect the natural resource. Then it’s carried down the mountains by hand and processed at our facility in the Langkloof region.”

“The bush goes through a food safety system where it’s fermented and goes through various trying processes. Then it’s packaged, sterilized and tested to enter the European and US market.” She detailed that it can also be used in flavored rums. 

She adds that the honeybush is very dense in antioxidants and holds many health benefits. “Something worth mentioning is that it is caffeine free and does not have any added sugar. The honey from the bush brings its natural sweetness.”

Taste from waste
We visited Niels Skovby Jørgensen, chief commercial officer at Reduced.

“All our products are based on upcycle production and all our raw materials are from Denmark. We take vegetables that are not approved due to not having the right size or shape for selling, which would usually go to waste, and we use them to make great tasting products.”

Jørgensen explained the two lines of products showcased by the company. First, the traditional stock that you boil with water and a little bit of salt for 16 hours to get a “dense stock.” Reduced’s low carbon footprint can be explained by its upcycling strategy, using raw materials intended for waste.

“What’s more interesting is our other line of product, which is a fermented one. We have an original product based on chicken. We take chicken from the egg-laying production, chickens usually lay eggs for nine months, and then they need a break, but commercially no one can afford the three-month break, so it’s disposed of. Instead of them going to waste, we buy the chickens and use them to make great taste,” Jørgensen said.

“You get a very dense umami flavor based on food waste.” 

This also explains the company’s low carbon footprint, as what is used would have otherwise gone to waste.

“There is a lot of CO2 related to the disposal of chickens. If you look at similar products made of chickens made for this purpose, we have a six to seven times lower footprint than a conventional product.”

Food in the lab
Regarding food safety, NutritionInsight met with Dr. Andreas Kneißler, managing director at Ariana Holding, and talked about its laboratory practices for food and beverages. 

Kneißler exemplifies common spotted issues such as high-fat content or insufficient protein levels.He told us about the laboratory group and the different labs that analyze “everything around food, feed, environmental samples and drinking water.”

“Depending on what customers need, we have risk-based sampling plans and then we can analyze everything from the microbiological profile to nutrients, contaminants, residues and migration tests for the packaging.”

Kneißler explains that common defects on food items found in the lab depend on the type of product that enters the lab. He exemplifies common spotted issues such as high-fat content, too much added water or insufficient protein levels.

“Salt is, of course, also analyzed. Salt has become a hot topic in Germany due to the nationwide reduction strategy, and the content is very important for the consumers.”

He told us about meat alternatives for plant-based foods. “To change the meat into something different, you need a lot of additives sometimes to get a stable product. We monitor those contents and check the safety of these additives and salt levels.” 

He concludes that due to the testing of food items, food has “never been as safe as it is today.”

By Beatrice Wihlander