Arla Foods Ingredients has partnered with ENORM, Northern Europe’s largest insect farm, to significantly reduce food waste. This partnership aims to address the challenge of utilizing delactosed permeate (DLP), a large-volume residual dairy stream produced during lactose production, in a sustainable manner.
DLP is currently used for biogas production, which is less preferable than re-use for animal feed according to the EU’s Waste Framework Directive. Arla Foods Ingredients has been investigating ways to address this challenge, and the composition of DLP has previously made it difficult to use in traditional animal feed.
However, with the help of the larvae of the black soldier fly, the scenario is about to change. ENORM is currently using the larvae for animal feed, and they offer potential as a healthy and sustainable source of protein for humans as well. Arla Foods Ingredients has been supplying ENORM with DLP for trial production, and today, ENORM is opening a major new facility in Flemming, Denmark, gearing up for full-scale production.
This new facility will increase the amount of DLP that Arla Foods Ingredients supplies to ENORM – to 15 truckloads a week from early 2024. The facility will be capable of producing 100 tonnes of larvae daily, enough for more than 10,000 tonnes of insect meal. As a result, this partnership will allow DLP to move up in the waste hierarchy, ultimately supporting a significant (16%) reduction in food waste at Arla Foods Ingredients’ Danmark Protein facility.
Sønke Møller, Senior Sales Developer at Arla Foods Ingredients, expressed excitement about the partnership with ENORM, stating, “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 revolutionize the provision of protein and create more sustainable food systems. This collaboration is a fantastic example of companies working together to make upcycling a reality.”
