Invisible losses
Some losses are visible, like leftovers we scrape from our plates or food that expires. Other losses happen far earlier, and go largely unseen.
Crops are often rejected for looking imperfect or for ripening outside peak demand. Shade-grown fruit like jackfruit is abundant but underused. Bread is another major example, the fourth most wasted food globally, with supermarkets discarding imperfect or near-expiry.
Then there are the nutrient-rich byproducts from food processing: spent grain from brewing, pulp from juicing, many fruit and vegetable skins are edible. Most are discarded for lack of imagination, but often contain the most nutrition.
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Green banana flatbread and jackfruit curry
In the Test Kitchen, Chef Russell Nathan, formerly head chef at Michelin-starred Nouri and now founder of Bricolage, showed what happens when we rethink scraps as starting points. His dish paired flatbread made from brewers’ spent grain, a by-product of the brewing industry, with young jackfruit transformed into a pulled pork-style curry. Whilst head Chef Pete Smit of Dirty Supper reworked bread trimmings and animal fats into a savoury spread.
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Chef Matt Orlando and THIC - a chocolate alternative
Whilst Chef Matt Orlando (former Noma, founder of Endless Food Co. and AIR) presented THIC (This Isn’t Chocolate) — a rich, chocolate-like product made from brewers’ spent grain. It contains no cocoa, no palm oil, and no deforestation. Just bold flavour and a bold rethink of what ingredients can be.
Jake Berber from Prefer
Prefer follows the same logic. Based in Singapore, the startup brews coffee-like beverages by upcycling broken rice and chickpeas. These ingredients are fermented, roasted, and ground to create a bold, bean-free alternative. Proving innovation and potential often begins in areas we’ve been ignoring.
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