VASCO: turning agricultural side streams into new food opportunities

How can we get more food from the crops we already grow? That is one of the ambitions behind VASCO: Valorising Agricultural Crop Side Streams into Consumer Foods, a new six-year project bringing together researchers, food companies, knowledge institutions and other partners across the food system.

Many agricultural side streams already have a purpose, for example in animal feed or biogas. However, protein-rich streams from crops such as legumes, rapeseed and potatoes offer opportunities for higher-value use in food for people.

Led by Wageningen University & Research, the consortium has received almost €4 million in funding from the Dutch Research Council (NWO). Over six years, partners will investigate how protein extraction and fermentation can be used to transform agricultural side streams into safe, nutritious and appealing food products.

Technology alone is not enough to create impact. The consortium will explore what is needed to successfully bring solutions to market, including viable business models and the barriers and opportunities across value chains. Bringing side streams back into the food system requires collaboration between the organisations producing and processing these streams, ingredient companies, food manufacturers, retailers, researchers and other partners.

That is where Foodvalley contributes. As part of the VASCO consortium, Foodvalley will help connect stakeholders across the value chain and activate its network around opportunities for upcycling and plant proteins. In addition to Foodvalley partners already involved in the consortium, we expect to engage a broader group of partners from Foodvalley’s communities and relevant clusters linked to the agricultural side streams at the heart of the VASCO project.