Waterloo, Wis. – April 26 is Stop Food Waste Day! Not all food waste is waste—in fact, many of the byproducts of the food you love, have peels, rinds, rusks or cores, and can be used as fuel for cows that produce milk for award-winning Crave cheese.
As part of their commitment to sustainability, Crave Brothers Farmstead Cheese is dedicated to educating consumers about how their waste can turn into delicious cheese.
Crave Brothers recycles ten tons annually of human-grade food coproducts, or the waste left behind from the production of some of our favorite foods, including malt sprouts, brewers’ grain, canola meal, corn gluten feed, oat and soy hulls, and more. Crave Brothers sources these from local producers, like Milwaukee breweries! Cows digest these nutritious, delicious products in their total mixed rations (TMR) formulated by a certified dairy nutritionist and in turn create the milk for the dairy and cheese products you love.
Here’s what you should know this Stop Food Waste Day:
- Cows consume about 26.5 pounds of byproducts each day, representing anywhere from 32 to 41 million metric tons nationally each year—talk about natural recyclers!
- Landfills are sources of methane, a potent greenhouse gas contributing to global warming. Landfills are the third-largest source of human-related methane emissions in the United States, the same as more than 20 million passenger vehicles! Rather than throwing out byproducts, Crave Brothers uses these products that are indigestible or unfit for human consumption and that may otherwise end up in landfills, in a byproduct feed for cows.
- Byproduct feeds recycle valuable nutrients and thus serve as essential sources of nutrition for cows.
Here’s how you can celebrate sustainably this Stop Food Waste Day:
- Support sustainably made dairy products! Each purchase helps combat food waste. Purchase Crave Brothers Farmstead Cheese on their website or find a retailer near you.
- Consider composting.
- Reuse peels, rinds or cores in other recipes or everyday DIY’s.
- Plan meals so you don’t buy more than you need.
- When it doubt, freeze it out! Freeze food you can’t use in one sitting to prevent waste.
About Crave Brothers
The Crave family farms 2,500 acres of productive land in south-central Wisconsin, growing soybeans, corn and alfalfa to use as nutritious feed for their Holstein cows. From the biodigester to water recovery and recycling, sustainability is top-of-mind on the farm and cheese factory. The Crave Brothers Farm LLC and Crave Brothers Farmstead Cheese LLC use 100% green power and are carbon-negative businesses. Crave Brothers Farmstead Cheese produces Fresh Mozzarella, Mascarpone, Part-skim Mozzarella, Oaxaca, Farmer’s Rope String Cheese and Fresh Cheddar Cheese Curds.
