Halifax-based Outcast Foods has teamed up with Toronto's Greenhouse to reduce food waste by creating new products. Outcast will upcycle pulp byproduct from Greenhouse’s juice processing operation to produce dried fruit and vegetable powders.

Outcast Foods turns surplus fruits and vegetables into whole plant powders. This reduces food waste, decreases greenhouse gases and makes nutrients in food last longer. They work with farms, food brokers and grocers to convert misfit produce into natural health products, pet food and cosmetics.

Greenhouse is a well-known organic beverage company that distributes its products to hundreds of grocery and foodservice locations nationally.

“The process of cold-pressed juicing creates nutrient dense, high-value juice but results in a large amount of leftover pulp,” Outcast Foods CEO Darren Burke said in a statement. "Typically, this pulp ends up in landfills with a small percentage used in agricultural feed. However, our unique sustainable food technology can be used to recover high value nutrients, polyphenols and fiber remaining in the pulp and make it a valuable raw material for innovative and sustainable food products.” 

Greenhouse has been working towards a zero-waste model since its inception in 2014, the statement said. When co-founder Anthony Green heard about Outcast Foods, he thought the company might offer a perfect solution for the company's pulp.

“We produce hundreds of thousands of pounds of organic pulp byproduct every day,” he said. “Previously we were sending most of it back to farms to be used as compost; now that we are working with Outcast, we can get creative and upcycle this valuable fruit and vegetable matter into exciting new products.”

Outcast Foods uses a three-step process to dry fruits and vegetables, locking in the nutrients and extending shelf life to three years. The company mission is to create sustainable nutrition for health and the planet by improving our food system.

“With more uncertainty in our food supply chain now than ever, it’s critical to find ways to reduce food waste; upcycling Greenhouse’s pulp will provide high quality North American fruit and vegetable powders that will end up in delicious and sustainable new products,” said TJ Galiardi, Outcast Foods' Co-Founder.