Australia's biggest fruit and vegetable company and vitamin maker Swisse Wellness have launched a plan to turn billions of dollars worth of fruit and vegetables wasted each year into ingredients for health supplements.
Costa Group, a $1.7 billion horticulture company and Swisse are among the companies seeking to establish a new Fight Food Waste Fraud Cooperative Research Centre (CRC).
Among the CRC's proposed projects is a scheme to turn some of the $50 billion of carrots, broccoli, tomatoes and other fruit and vegetables binned every year into ingredients for dietary supplements and food additives.
Grape skin and seed waste from wine-making - called pomace or marc - has been identified for its health value.
Swisse currently imports grape seed extract from France as no high-purity product is produced in Australia, however the vitamin heavyweight has flagged interest in establishing local supply chains for its raw ingredients.
The food waste CRC is currently in its proposal stage but will become a reality if among successful bids to be decided on in 2018.
Source: skynews.com.au
