The Challenge

Food waste is a significant global sustainability challenge, generating 8–10% of greenhouse gas emissions (UNEP 2024). If food waste were counted as a country, it would be the third-largest emitter in the world (EDGAR 2024).  Within the food system, it is estimated that about 38% of total energy use is expended on food that is ultimately wasted (Geneva Environment Network, 2024). About 13% of food is lost in the supply chain from harvest to retail, with a further 19% wasted at the consumer, retail, and food service stages (FAO 2022). Globally, more than 30% of food produced goes uneaten.

A major cause is strict cosmetic and quality standards applied to fresh produce. In Ireland and internationally, fruit and vegetables are often rejected due to being misshapen, the wrong size, blemished, damaged during harvest or storage, showing signs of sprouting, or simply because they represent a surplus to retailer requirements—even though such produce remains perfectly suitable for human consumption (Vlaemynck et al., 2017). This results in up to 30% of vegetables never reaching the consumer market. These standards rarely reflect nutritional quality or food safety, but largely visual preferences (Porter et al., 2018).

Meanwhile, over 735 million people face hunger globally (United Nations, 2023).

Circular Solution

Meade Farm, based in Lobinstown, Co. Meath, has developed a circular approach to address this challenge. The company grows, packs, and distributes premium fresh fruit and vegetables nationwide. Its state-of-the-art potato starch facility, unique in Ireland and the UK, processes "out of specification" and surplus potato stock, converting what was previously classified as "non-table grade" or animal-feed potatoes into high-value food-grade starch (Interreg Europe, 2021). This starch is supplied to food manufacturers and also sold in retail packs.

Meade Farm Group estimates that 20–30% of its potatoes traditionally did not meet retail market standards, achieving only €20–€30 per tonne as animal feed. Through starch production, these same potatoes now achieve values of €700–€1,000 per tonne for premium food-grade starch (Interreg Europe, 2021). This practice represents a significant shift in value retention and resource efficiency.

The company's circular economy activities also include engagement with FoodCloud and local gleaning networks to further reduce on-farm crop loss. Produce left behind in the field after harvest is picked up and donated to food charities, which benefits communities and raises awareness of food waste prevention (Meade Farm, 2024). Sustainability is a core value, and Meade Farm is working toward carbon neutrality through investment in renewable energy (wind and solar) and circular packaging innovations (Interreg Europe, 2021).

Climate & Economic Impact

By valorising surplus potatoes for starch production, Meade Farm has established a sustainable supply chain model that enables locally-sourced starch to substitute for imported ingredients. Meade Farm’s innovation now offers Irish food manufacturers and consumers a lower-carbon, fully traceable, and circular alternative. The process additionally reduces emissions formerly associated with transporting waste potatoes for feed or landfill.

With up to 30% of vegetables rejected for cosmetic reasons alone, the Meade Farm model demonstrates one way production residues can be valorised at scale. The persistence of visual and cosmetic grading standards in food supply chains poses important questions for policy, retail, and consumer culture (The Climate Drive, 2025). Revisiting these standards is fundamental to advancing a circular, climate-resilient food system where no resources go to waste.

Replicability

The market for starch and starch products was 134.5 million tonnes in 2022, set to rise to 199.8 million tonnes by 2030 (Manitoba Government, 2023). Meade Farm Group’s practices exemplify how integrating surplus-utilisation measures can open new value streams and reduce waste in agriculture. Their approach is aligned with European circular economy best practice and is replicable in other contexts where large portions of edible produce are routinely excluded from the market.

Other notable examples of companies tackling food waste are:

• FoodCloud (Ireland/UK) are a food redistribution network rescuing surplus edible food from farms, retailers, and manufacturers to supply charities, effectively reducing food waste while tackling hunger.

  
  

• British Sugar (UK) utilizes sugar beet and process residuals for multiple product lines, including animal feed, bioplastics, and energy generation. They demonstrate industrial symbiosis and circularity in large-scale agri-food operations.

  
  

• Toast Ale (UK) brew their beer using surplus or “waste” bread from bakeries and retailers as a key raw ingredient. They turn ingredients discarded for appearance or oversupply into a profitable product, while raising awareness on food waste.

  
  

• Too Good To Go (Europe-wide) are a food waste app enabling retailers, restaurants, and producers to sell surplus food directly to consumers at a discount, cutting waste in retail and hospitality supply chains.

  
  

• Kaffe Bueno (Denmark) converts spent coffee grounds from hospitality and industry into bio-based ingredients for nutrition, agriculture, and personal care. This diverts a major source of organic waste and aligns with circular resource recovery in food sectors