Would you eat or drink something made out of ingredients that are traditionally considered waste — like ketchup made from tossed-out tomatoes or beer made from stale bread? New research shows that consumers increasingly accept, or even prefer, such products. Jonathan Deutsch, who led the study and is a professor of culinary arts at Drexel University, said that “consumers are actually willing to pay more for food made from surplus products.” Deutsch hopes that the study will help manufactures feel more comfortable with adding food waste into their products. Up to a third of all food is spoiled or lost before it can be eaten. America wastes about 62 million tons of food per year, which amounts to some $218 million, reports Smithsonian. But one in seven Americans is food insecure, or don’t have access to healthy food. As consumers became aware of these many problems, some companies started to bet on using surplus foods and food waste in their products. Some of the companies are meeting with major corporate success.
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