Rethinking Surplus: Innovative Solutions to Excess

03/12/21 • 25 min

Surplus is usually defined as what’s left over when the demand, or need, of a population has been met. However, in the context of the food system, this definition leaves us with more leftovers than answers. What might be referred to as surplus food faces a core contradiction: while approximately 35% of the food we produce goes to waste, about 50 million people in the U.S. are experiencing food insecurity. This number has increased from previous years due to the Covid-19 pandemic, which begs the question – is it possible to have a food surplus when the need for nourishment is only going up?

This week, we rethink the meaning of surplus. We start off with a lesson on embracing the food sharing economy. Then, we walk through the process of upcycling leftover grain from breweries into crackers and learn about eliminating surplus in dairy production as a response to Covid-19. Last but not least, we look at an example of closed-loop manufacturing that turns surplus waste into a common household product.

Further Reading and Listening:

For more on the sharing economy, check out Michael Carolan’s book The Food Sharing Revolution: How Start-Ups, Pop-Ups, and Co-ops are Changing the Way We Eat.

Need a new addition to your charcuterie board? Check out Brewer’s Crackers.

Feast Yr Ears: This episode featured “Episode 131: The Food Sharing Revolution.” Subscribe to Feast Yr Ears wherever you get your podcasts. (Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify | RSS).

Cutting the Curd: This episode featured “Episode 442: Upcycled Inspiration: A Conversation with Kyle Fiasconaro of Brewers Crackers.” Subscribe to Cutting the Curd wherever you get your podcasts (Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify | RSS).

Eating Matters: This episode featured “Episode 155: Closing the Loop on Food Waste.” Subscribe to Eating Matters wherever you get your podcasts. (Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify | RSS).

What Doesn’t Kill You: This episode featured “Episode 329: Rebuilding Dairy in Pennsylvania” Subscribe to What Doesn’t Kill You wherever you get your podcasts. (Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify| RSS)

Keep Meat and Three on the air: become an HRN Member today! Go to heritageradionetwork.org/donate.

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Further Reading and Listening:

For more on the sharing economy, check out Michael Carolan’s book The Food Sharing Revolution: How Start-Ups, Pop-Ups, and Co-ops are Changing the Way We Eat.

Need a new addition to your charcuterie board? Check out Brewer’s Crackers.

Feast Yr Ears: This episode featured “Episode 131: The Food Sharing Revolution.” Subscribe to Feast Yr Ears wherever you get your podcasts. (Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify | RSS).

Eating Matters: This episode featured “Episode 155: Closing the Loop on Food Waste.” Subscribe to Eating Matters wherever you get your podcasts. (Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify | RSS).

Keep Meat and Three on the air: become an HRN Member today! Go to heritageradionetwork.org/donate.

Meat and Three is powered by Simplecast.

Previous Episode

You Can’t Always Drink What You Want

From coffee shops to cocktail bars, the world of beverages has been turned upside down by the pandemic. You can’t always drink what you want. And now, more than ever, you can’t always drink where you want. But even before Covid-19, transformations in the production line, farming practices, and workplace inclusivity have affected what we drink.

In this episode, splash into the world of beverages – from the drinks we sip on to the places we imbibe. We’ll investigate the ways access, history, legislation, and simple circumstance may limit the beverages we consume. We’ll explore how to make the most of the ingredients lying around the dustiest of liquor cabinets. And for those who are tired of making at-home drinks, we’ll hear from a North Carolina state representative and bar owners about the state of to-go cocktails. We’ll learn about the future of the American craft cider industry and its potential to diversify the labor force backed behind it. Finally, we’ll delve into the increasingly popular caffeinated drink Yaupon, whose history tells a story of cultural resilience.

Additional Resources

Check out John deBary’s flowchart and plenty more cocktail tips in his book, Drink What You Want. If you’re interested in learning more about non-alcoholic drinks, give Proteau a try.

Hard Core: This episode featured “Episode 6: What’s Next for American Craft Cider?” Subscribe to Hard Core wherever you get your podcasts. (Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify | RSS).

Thirsty? Sip on some Yaupon Brothers American Tea.

Keep Meat and Three on the air: become an HRN Member today! Go to heritageradionetwork.org/donate.

Meat and Three is powered by Simplecast.

Next Episode

New Show Spotlight: Fields

We’re spotlighting a new show on HRN: Fields. Fields brings you the stories of people who are working in urban agriculture—for money, for fun, to feed the hungry, and for entirely other reasons. In each episode, hosts Melissa Metrick and Wythe Marschall delve into different foods grown in cities. Moreover, they investigate the whys behind getting up in the morning and working as a farmer in the shadow of skyscrapers. You don’t need to be a farmer to enjoy this podcast, or even a foodie! With their expert guests, Melissa and Wythe break down the realities and possible futures of urban farming to their elements.

Today we share Episode 5: ‘Shrooms! Indoors, Foraged, and Friendly. Why are mushrooms so popular recently, and who is growing them—and searching for them in the wild—in New York City? To find out, the hosts interviewed a whole bunch of fungi-focused folks. Learn about the cello-inspired origins of the commercial vertical farming startup Smallhold, which grows oyster mushrooms and lion’s mane all over the city. Hear from an entrepreneur on why she started—and then sold—her mushroom farm in Brooklyn. Melissa and Wythe visit expert forager Wildman Steve—who makes us call him “Wildman”—and try to avoid his bird. And they end with a very fun, philosophical interview of Jie Jin, a mushroom club organizer who makes them rethink our relationship to fungi spores.

Subscribe to Fields wherever you get your podcasts (Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify | RSS).