We all should channel our inner improv comic to invest in the power of “yes and” to solve the array of challenges in the food system. One of the more egregious challenges we face is the issue of food loss and waste.

In case you need a reminder:

Cradle-to-grave emissions from food loss and waste represent half of total greenhouse gas emissions from food systems.
Food waste is responsible for a quarter of landfill inputs in the U.S.

Experts say we collectively waste about 40 percent of our food. And agriculture is responsible for 86 percent of threats to species loss. So by my calculations, food waste indirectly accounts for 34 percent of extinction.

OK, that last one uses some shabby statistical reasoning, showcasing why I stopped pursuing a Ph.D. in economics. The point remains that wasting the emissions and resources used to produce and transport food that ultimately ends up in methane-emitting landfills is a double whammy on the planet, especially in a time of rising food insecurity.

Nature has never known the concept of waste, with all matter going through cycles where it provides different values to various ecosystems over time. As humans, we must unlearn the concept of waste as fast as possible.

To help this process, here are two examples that demonstrate the wide array of solutions erasing the concept of food waste inside businesses — and reframing them as wasted resources and potential value.

From spent to saved grains
In the brewing industry, there is a material called spent grain. Its major components are the protein and fiber left in the barley from the initial stages of brewing. In recent history, this mixture has been downcycled into animal feed because of its nutrient-rich content.

Companies are now innovating (or rediscovering) ways to use the grains as sustainable, nutritious ingredients for human consumption.