ABSTRACT
Until recently, food waste was not considered to be beneficial to the world population, it was used mostly for animal feeding; however, nowadays it is considered as a potential source of energy in several areas. To increase the eco-sustainability of food-processing industry, it is necessary to exploit the use of its by-products. The objective of this chapter is to discuss the economic and environmental benefits of supporting value addition of plant food by-products. Besides from the dual economic and environmental benefits of reducing the volume of by-products generated during food manufacturing, this chapter will cover the economic opportunities for industrial stakeholders to enter into new markets by reusing existing surplus materials, the environmental benefits to deferring these waste streams from landfills or land application, and the challenges and research needed to accomplish these aforementioned benefits. The rise in consumption of processed fruit and vegetable products brings this sector of the food industry to the forefront of environmental sustainability; however, the interdisciplinary nature of this topic will require collaboration between industries, regulators, and consumers to maximize the utilization of these commodities.
