Waste corn flakes, which fail Kellogg’s strict quality control, because they are either too big, small or crunchy, and would normally go to animal feed are instead being sent to local brewers Seven Bro7hers, to create a new beer called ‘Throw Away IPA’.
The brew – which was perfected over 14 days in the brothers Salford brewery – uses 60kg of Kellogg’s Corn Flakes to replace some of the wheat grain in the beer mix, during the ‘mash’ process the cereal sweetens the taste.
The IPA has also retained the sunshine golden colour of the icon breakfast cereal.
The cereal giant first approached Seven Bro7hers, after the Salford brewers collaborated with BrewDog to make a ‘Corn Shake’ beer.
Intrigued by this brew, Kellogg’s offered the opportunity to collaborate on an IPA using waste flakes, for charity – 10p from each can purchased will be donated to food distribution charity, FareShare.
‘Kellogg’s is always exploring different and sustainable ways to reduce food waste in its factories. So it is great to be involved in such a fun initiative with a local business,’ said Kellogg’s UK corporate social responsibility manger, Kate Prince.
The Seven Bro7hers brewery has been a huge success over the past four years, and in March 2018 their sisters decided to get in on the act starting their own distillery, Four Sis4ers Gin.
The 11 siblings believe they are the biggest single family in the alcohol business in the world.
Alison Watson, from Seven Bro7hers Brewery, said it ‘is delighted to be working with Kellogg’s on a project which uses edible but not-sellable cereal’.
‘Kellogg recognises that it has an important role to play in reducing food waste, and that includes finding uses for edible food that doesn’t make it into the cereal box,’ said Ms Watson.
‘The cereal is perfectly safe to eat but the flakes might be too big, too small or broken so not good enough for our packs.’
A new number of craft beer brewers are turning are using sustainable methods to producer their beers
Last year, Environment Journal reported on the award-winning Toast Ale, which is made from surplus bread, which would otherwise be thrown away or sent to landfill.
The company was founded on four core principles: to produce good beer, eliminate bread waste by brewing with as much of it as possible, to raise awareness of the issues around food waste and to give all profits to the food charity Feedback.