BYPRODUCTS

The Value of Byproducts

Resource Toolkit

Utilizing “the other half” of the animal is an ongoing challenge for smaller meat and poultry processors.

USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service publishes a Drop Report daily, which lists the value of hides and other byproducts from beef carcasses. Unfortunately, only parge processors now capture that value. Smaller processors too often pay to have these byproducts hauled to landfills or otherwise disposed of.

Flower Hill Institute has been working since the inception of the Meat and Poultry Processing Technical Assistance Program to help these processors capture value for by-products—or, at the very least—eliminate the cost of disposal.

This toolkit section contains updated information on several alternatives for byproduct utilization, ranging from composting to human-edible products.

*This section also includes links to information provided by companies involved in composting, digestion, leather, and other technologies. Their listing in this toolkit does not indicate an endorsement of their products and services by Flower Hill Institute. Processors should conduct their research and assessment of these companies and their products.

Biodigestion
Composting
Pet Products
Leather & Hide
Edible
Cosmetic, Medical, Etc.

Coproduct Utilization in Small Meat/Poultry Processing Plants: A Dilemma and an Opportunity

In her 2023 analysis on the survival of smaller meat processors, Dr. Sarah Low of the University of Illinois concluded, “For smaller plants, survival is most strongly related to business diversification.”1

Diversification includes a variety of value-added products and retail enterprises. It also includes better utilization of coproducts, such as offal, bones, and hides. This paper analyzes the growing opportunities for byproduct utilization and the need for investments in equipment and infrastructure to help smaller processors capture that value.

View Paper

Additional Resources