Animaliska restprodukter vid köttproduktion
Effektiv användning och livsmedelspotential
This master thesis aims to investigate and quantify the potential associated with increasing the usage of edible by-products as food for human consumption on the Swedish market. The main emphasis is on the Swedish production of offal and the obstacles that currently inhibit greater usage of these products as foods.The results indicate that the Swedish market for offal is limited. Only a small amount of the edible by-products that are produced in Sweden every year are consumed as foods and a considerable amount seem to be downgraded into animal feed or thrown away. The utilization of these products is restricted by economical, technical, legal, and cultural factors that all need to be taken into consideration. On the whole, large-scale slaughter plants seem to be more inclined to utilize these products effectively, as the profit from doing so increases proportionately to the produced volumes. Large-scale plants also generally have the option of exporting edible by-products for which there is no national demand. For small or medium-sized plants, the profits from utilizing these products are often small due to the limited domestic market and lack of export possibilities. Because of this, an increase in the Swedish offal consumption would most likely be beneficial to more effectively utilize these products and prevent edible by-products from being downgraded.