HEALTHY snacks made from out-of-spec vegetables have rolled onto supermarket shelves in another value-added product aimed at reducing waste and bettering health.
Last November, the CSIRO launched Nutri V Goodies, snacks which are made from vegetable waste. The product is available from Coles.
The product contains broccoli, pumpkin and cauliflower which can't be sold and would otherwise have gone to waste, often as landfill or animal feed.
Nutri V's first processing module is located on the farm of their parent company, Fresh Select, one of Australia's biggest brassica growers.
The veggies are picked and sorted in the mornings, then washed, dried into powders and turned into the snacks by the afternoon.
It's a system Nutri V hopes to take to other vegetable growing areas in Australia to help them tackle their food waste as well.
Nutri V chief executive officer Raquel Said said the company was born from a farming business with a passion for innovation and sustainability.
"Part of growing veggies can involve ending up with tonnes that don't meet specification or there's an oversupply and there's stalks and leaves, yet it's all still perfectly nutritious," she said.
"We wanted to create a business to upcycle that waste into a sustainable yet delicious solution, which is what we've done with the Nutri V vegetable powders, a star ingredient in Nutri V Goodie snacks."
The Nutri V Goodies have two serves of vegetables in every pack and are a marketed as being a convenient option for people to increase their intake.
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They have a higher vegetable content and health star rating than many other snack foods on the market.
"We see this as vegetables reimagined, no fork required, and we think it's the future of helping Australians top up their veggie consumption while supporting farmers reduce waste," Ms Said said.
CSIRO's director of agriculture and food Dr Michael Robertson said vegetable-rich food innovation such as Nutri V helps farmers add real value to their businesses, while supporting sustainability in the agrifood sector.
"With CSIRO's unique expertise and our world-class food research facilities, we can support the creation of healthy concept products and in the case of Nutri V, developing an innovative scaled process to take it to market," Dr Robertson said.
"This partnership with a business at the forefront of agricultural production is a terrific example of how research can work with industry for the benefit of Australia."
Coles chief executive of commercial and express Leah Weckert said the company was proud to work alongside partners to develop an innovative product that supports Coles' sustainability ambitions.
"Coles is very excited to welcome Nutri V Goodies exclusively to our shelves," Ms Weckert said.
"Our customers now have yet another way to enjoy Australian grown vegetables that are good for them and the environment.
"This innovative project highlights how working with Coles' suppliers can help us achieve our Together to zero sustainability ambitions."
CSIRO and Nutri V are also working together on a suite of veggie-based innovations using other CSIRO technologies.
CSIRO's Kick-Start program, Aussie vegetable growers through Hort Innovation, and Sustainability Victoria all supported earlier stages of this work.
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