Do Good Foods Launches Infrastructure Platform that Upcycles Grocery Store Food Waste
The Kamine Family, an established pioneer with a 40-year history of building large-scale infrastructure projects nationwide through the Kamine Development Corporation, has launched Do Good Foods. Backed by a $169 million investment from Nuveen, Do Good Foods is the first scalable solution to eliminating the 48 billion pounds of food waste generated by grocery stores each year. The company’s closed-loop system collects foods such as fruits, vegetables and meats, after human donations can occur and upcycles them into a nutrient-dense animal feed to create sustainable animal protein.
The first production facility in Fairless Hills, PA has the capacity to take in and convert 160 tons of surplus food from about 450 grocery stores every day and about 60,000 tons annually. The company will replicate the model across the country during the next five years.
Hal, Matt and Justin Kamine co-founded Do Good Foods as part of their mission to develop solutions to critical climate challenges and build a better planet.
“We need actionable solutions to our massive environmental problems, and we need them now. We can’t afford to wait 10 years or 20 years,” said co-CEO Matt Kamine. “The beauty of Do Good Foods is that it has immediate economic and environmental impact by driving us toward a more sustainable food system for all.”
Furthermore, co-CEO Justin Kamine said it was important to the family to also empower consumers to be able to do their part for the planet simply by making a delicious, impactful food choice. “Food waste is one of the biggest – yet solvable catastrophes – as we waste approximately 40 percent of the food grown in this country,” said Kamine. “To put it into perspective, that is like buying five bags of groceries and throwing two of them in the garbage as you walk out the door. We know consumers are becoming more eco-conscious and want to waste less. Through Do Good Foods, we are providing consumers with an easy way to do good for their plate and the planet.”
Do Good Foods has attracted some of the nation’s largest grocery retailers and thought leaders who are dedicated to unlocking scalable solutions to food waste, including Sam Kass, President Obama’s former chef and nutrition policy advisor and former US Secretary of Agriculture Ann Veneman.
“As a chef who has also had a seat at the policy table, I’ve worked with governments, NGOs, corporations and academics to solve food waste. Do Good Foods will make an impact on this issue at a scale that we have not yet seen,” Kass said. “When we launch our mission-driven consumer food brand, people can simply eat some delicious chicken and have significant impact on food waste and climate change.”
The first product, Do Good Chicken, a sustainable, carbon-reduced chicken, will begin rolling out in supermarkets, restaurants and other foodservice locations around the country early next year.
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