“We want to remain the top Braas in sustainability too”
When you think of quality bread, you think of Braas Brood- en Banketbakkerij B.V. Every day, hundreds of shops both here and abroad are supplied with bakery products – some fresh, others with a long shelf life. Sustainability runs like a thread through the company, and especially so when it comes to managing waste streams. “Every single gram of bread returned to Obdam goes back into the food chain,” assures Brian Braas. “Food waste is an absolute no-go.”
Food safety paramount
“Where we started out as a village bakery, we now have around 450,000 loaves and 7,500,000 rolls leaving our bakery every week. This of course means that we also have to deal with returned loaves and production loss,” adds his colleague, Bart Smit. “Nothing that’s returned is suitable for human consumption anymore. Food safety is paramount. We don’t take any risks with that.”
Most sustainable alternative
“Back in the 90s we would still deliver our returned bread to the breadcrumbs industry. When legislation came in which stopped that, we looked for the best alternative. And we found that with FeedValid,” says Brian. “FeedValid processes our bread to create high-value animal feed – exclusively circular products that contribute to animals’ quality of life as well as to more efficient and more sustainable food production. We have been happily working together for years now. Everything runs smoothly. The returns process is fully automated.”
Back into the food chain
Marcel de Geus from FeedValid is also extremely proud of the collaboration with Braas. “What one person sees as waste may be high-quality ingredients for another. Instead of being incinerated or fermented, the bread now goes back into the food chain. It ends up on the table again as a meat or dairy product. How great is that? This also means that we reduce the use of soya and maize as raw materials, resulting in a smaller carbon footprint.” “It’s a win-win situation on all counts. We want to remain at the forefront, so we will continue our strong commitment to more efficient and more sustainable food production. Circularity is a top priority for us and our partners at FeedValid,” concludes Bart.
