Abstract
Bioeconomic circular ingredients are defined as ingredients that are coproducts from plant or animal processing utilized in one of three ways; 1) production of animals to produce food for humans, 2) fertilizer applied to crops that produce food for human consumption, and 3) use in renewable energy production. The upcycling and proper utilization of these secondary products of agriculture result in tremendous reductions in food waste and landfill overloading as well as highlight agriculture’s leading efforts in sustainability. In February 2025, the Institute for Feed Education and Research (IFEEDER) published the 2023 Feed Ingredient Consumption Report for U.S. livestock, poultry, and aquaculture. The research was a collaboration with the American Feed Industry Association and the North American Renders Association. In addition to utilizing a multi-species ration cost optimization model, animal inventories, ingredient production trends, and input from nutrition experts around the U.S., regional formulas were evaluated for bioeconomic circularity. Designation of bioeconomic circular ingredients was done using the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) “Guidelines on the role of livestock in circular bioeconomy systems” report and included ingredients such as soybean meal, corn DDG, animal protein meals, and animal-derived fats. Utilizing market consumption data, it was estimated that 500 million metric tons (MMT) of total feed was consumed by livestock in the US. Of these ingredients, 37% were circular ingredients in 2023 compared with 40% in 2019. While the percentage decreased slightly, these ingredients are still included at a considerable proportion. The use of bioeconomic circular ingredients ranged from 28 to 82% among production industries. Swine used 28% circular ingredients while poultry utilized 32% to 36% and beef used 35%. Dairy used 50% circular ingredients while goats and sheep used 52%. Equine used 77% and aquaculture used 82% bioeconomically circular ingredients. Rendered animal proteins and fats are circular in nature as they are comprised of those portions of animals that are not generally consumed by humans in developed countries. Their use in animal diets fits well with the definition of bioeconomic circularity and the desired reduction in food waste and food loss prevention. Feed ingredient consumption is influenced by farm commodity production, utilization of grains and oilseeds, utilization of rendered coproducts, animal production inventories, and feed mill locations. Domestic animal feed usage of rendered ingredient utilization decreased from 8.95 (MMT) in 2019 to only 4.8 MMT in 2023. Nonetheless, the overall usage of animal and plant coproducts highlights the importance of these ingredients to livestock and their efforts to use regenerative agricultural practices to achieve overall sustainability goals.