BERKELEY, CA — Ingredient tech startup Upcycled Foods Inc., under the name ReGrained, has launched the first value-added product that the company has co-developed through its partnership with Kerry Group: an upcycled protein crisp.
Designed to be formulated into products to add texture and nutrition, the crisp’s familiar format provides food makers an easy solution to accelerate innovation of sustainable food products. Upcycled foods are made from ingredients that would otherwise have ended up in a food waste destination. The protein crisp is just the beginning of this collaboration, pairing Upcycled Foods’ expertise and recognition in upcycling with Kerry’s formulation, application and category expertise. The product was launched earlier this month at IFT FIRST, the annual expo for the Institute of Food Technologists, held in Chicago.
Upcycled Foods and Kerry developed the crisp to meet the rapidly increasing demand of food makers to create more environmentally sustainable products. Protein crisps were a natural starting point for the two companies’ ongoing commercial collaboration. Crisps deliver desired nutritional benefits to consumers and are ubiquitous in a wide range of snack products, from bars and cereals to clusters and more. The companies immediately received interest from manufacturers for a product that would combine the flavor, nutrition and sustainability of ReGrained SuperGrain+ with the textural benefits of a crisp. The new protein crisps are now available through Kerry.
“Our food manufacturer partners come to us searching for R&D expertise and ingredient solutions for new sustainable foods. Value-added ingredient applications like our new crisp offer a platform for finished product innovation, thus enabling more partners to have a bigger impact.” —Dan Kurzrock | founder and CEO | Upcycled Food Inc.
“Our food manufacturer partners come to us searching for R&D expertise and ingredient solutions for new sustainable foods. Value-added ingredient applications like our new crisp offer a platform for finished product innovation, thus enabling more partners to have a bigger impact,” said Dan Kurzrock, founder and CEO of Upcycled Foods “Collaborating with Kerry exponentially amplifies our mission to better align the food we eat with the planet we love.”
At a typical customer usage level, the crisp contains enough of an Upcycled Certified ingredient to be eligible to apply to the Upcycled Food Association, an independent non-profit trade association, for certification. The plant-based crisp delivers 40% protein and 16% fiber, suitable for vegan and kosher applications, and is made in the US.
“We exist to be our customers’ most valued partner, creating a world of sustainable nutrition,” said John Kaufmann, senior director of business development for Kerry. “Innovating new upcycled ingredient solutions with Upcycled Foods’ leadership enables us to develop exciting new food items that live up to this vision and move us towards our goal of reaching more than 2 billion people with sustainable nutrition solutions by 2030.”
