Best option from an ethical perspective
Crops and co-products can be used as food for human consumption, livestock feed or biomass for energy production: food, feed or fuel. Which of these options is the best or the most sustainable is a frequent subject of debate. The question is a complex one, and the optimum valorisation is best determined on a case-by-case basis.
Moerman’s Ladder is a frequently used model to provide direction in this debate from an ethical perspective. The ladder analyses what is the best way, ethically speaking, to valorise residual flows (e.g. from the production process, from retail or from the consumer).
According to Moerman, the use of crops and their residual products as food for human consumption is the ideal course. If that is not possible, then preference should be given to using them as livestock feed. After all, cows and pigs turn these residual flows into meat and dairy products with a high nutritional value for humans. If that cannot be done either, then residual flows may be used for energy production.
The residual products that Duynie purchases are no longer useable for human consumption. We use them for the next best option: processing into livestock feed. Our co-products are therefore a sustainable choice. This page discusses our co-products with regard to two aspects that play a big part in determining what is the “ideal” option: land use and climate.
