Carbon-Negative Organic Beef Production: Upcycling Food Processing By-Products and Food Leftovers

Michio Tsutsumi (), Jiro Aoyama and Takashi Hanzawa
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Michio Tsutsumi: Western Region Agricultural Research Center, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, 60 Yoshinaga, Oda 6940013, Japan
Jiro Aoyama: Aoyama Shoten Corporation, 21–2 Daitouda, Okazaki 4440825, Japan
Takashi Hanzawa: Hanzawa Ranch, 15–156 Mino, Kushiro 0840921, Japan

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 4, 1-15

Abstract: A substantial amount of food processing by-products and food leftovers are managed as waste, while conventional beef production in Japan relies heavily on imported concentrate feed, leading to considerable environmental impacts. Hanzawa Ranch in Kushiro, Hokkaido, Japan, is a pioneering organic beef farm that utilizes only food processing by-products and food leftovers alongside farm-grown organic forage. This study conducted a life cycle assessment to evaluate the environmental impacts of organic beef production at Hanzawa Ranch (Hanzawa system) compared to the conventional Japanese beef production method. The objective was to determine the extent to which environmental load was reduced by using upcycled feed from food processing by-products and food leftovers. The system boundaries included feed production, transportation, processing, animal management, enteric fermentation, excreta, and its management. Additionally, the analysis for the Hanzawa system included the impacts of landfill avoidance by upcycling food processing by-products and food leftovers into feed. The functional unit was 1 kg of cold beef steer carcass. The assessment focused on contributions to climate change, acidification, eutrophication, and energy consumption. The environmental impacts of the Hanzawa system were 174%, 45%, 20%, and 80% lower for climate change, acidification, eutrophication, and energy consumption, respectively, compared to the conventional Japanese beef production system. The greenhouse gas emissions of the Hanzawa system were negative, attributed to the substantial benefits of diverting food processing by-products and food leftovers from landfill management by upcycling them into feed. Moreover, as no additional processing was required for upcycling in the Hanzawa system, this approach further reduced the environmental impacts of feed production across all assessed categories. Consequently, we conclude that carbon-negative beef can be produced using upcycled feed. Our findings suggest that livestock production plays a crucial role in advancing a circular bioeconomy and contributing to sustainable development.

Keywords: environmental impact; food loss; food waste; life cycle assessment; livestock production; organic farming (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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