Purina targets food waste by using surplus brewery grains in dog treat pilot

• Purina’s new dog treat features nutrient-rich surplus grains from breweries which could otherwise be disposed as waste.
• This treat with upcycled ingredients is the latest innovation from Purina’s LiveLab – a specialist innovation unit dedicated to exploring, rapidly creating, and testing new products.
• The product is one of the first upcycled pet foods in Europe and will launch in stores in the Netherlands on 01 March 2021 following a fast-track six-month development.

01 March – Purina today launches a new dog treat formulated with nutritious surplus grains from breweries.

By upcycling grains that might otherwise be left to spoil, Purina is able to reduce food waste, re-purposing this nutritiously dense substance as a pet food ingredient; a step towards a more circular economy.

The new treat will be sold under the AdVENTuROS brand over a six-week trial phase in the Netherlands. The product is expected to reach thousands of customers as part of a limited scale pilot focused on gauging consumer response.  

It is the latest creation from Purina’s LiveLab innovation unit, which works to actively explore industry challenges and develop new product and packaging solutions to respond to changing consumer demand. 

As part of this mission, the LiveLab team is actively engaged with generating innovative new ideas and solutions to improve the environmental impact of Purina products. LiveLab’s previous creation of Purina’s Beyond Nature’s Protein uses alternative proteins to make better use of the planet's resources.  

Developed as a rapid innovation in response to social and consumer trends, the AdVENTuROS new treat journey took just six months from conception to launch.

As a business, we are always exploring ways in which we can grow. But in order to do so responsibly, it is essential that we seek opportunities to make a positive difference throughout our activities, from sourcing to product portfolio.  This is why LiveLab identified upcycling as such an exciting and important avenue to explore within the pet care sector.
“Upcycling means taking ingredients that otherwise would be wasted and turning them into new nutritious products. Through the upcycling of surplus grains from breweries, we are able to create a nutritious treat for dogs that reduces waste and provides a more sustainable option for consumers.

Olena Topilnytska Nestlé Purina EMENA Director of Insight and Innovation

Global food production is set to change dramatically in the next 20-30 years. Consumer expectations and demands are rapidly changing and influencing how we feed our pets. We also know that demand for meat-based proteins is set to outstrip supply. Which is why we have started to explore innovative new ways to provide complete and balance foods for pets while making better use of planet’s resources. We already use ingredients like animal by-products which are surplus to human food requirements. Using upcycled ingredients like leftover grains provides a great opportunity to reduce food waste further.

Calum Macrae BEO for Nestlé Purina PetCare UK&I

Purina will assess customer feedback in real time during the six-week trial period, with the response helping to determine future deployment and scale-up of the product. 

For details on Purina’s environmental commitments in waste and packaging reduction, please visit: https://www.purina.eu/our-impact.