Outcast Foods Announces Partnership with U.S. Non-profit Rethink Food

HALIFAX, NS / TORONTO, ON –September 7, 2021 – Outcast Foods, a Canadian food technology company that rescues cast-off produce which is upcycled into supplements and other ingredients, announces a partnership with Rethink Food, a New York headquartered non-profit whose mission is to create a more sustainable and equitable food system.

Founded in 2017 by chef Matt Jozwiak, who saw firsthand how much good food from restaurants goes underutilized, Rethink Food developed a process to transform excess food from restaurants, corporate kitchens and grocery stores into nutritious meals for communities facing food insecurity, and distribute them via community-based organizations (CBOs). This has since evolved into a multi-pronged solution to address food insecurity, including tapping into a city's rich network of restaurants, bakeries, and catering companies to help feed their local communities.

Outcast came together with Rethink Food with shared values around addressing food insecurity and reducing food waste. Outcast products will be donated and served at Rethink Food’s pay-what-you-can Cafe and supplement meals prepared at the Rethink Commissary Kitchen. The Commissary team will incorporate everything from the Outcast’s Protein Powders to their new single ingredients which include Beet, Apple, Kale, Broccoli and Blueberry Powders.

Founder and CEO of Rethink Food, Matt Jozwiak comments, “As we continue to be responsive to the needs of our communities and mobilize our efforts in creating nutritious, sustainable solutions, we’re proud to collaborate with a brand who is working to be part of the food insecurity solution and whose support will directly help feed local communities.”

Dr. Darren Burke, Founder and CEO, Outcast Foods comments, “We are witnessing an important consumer shift as the world continues to discover and adopt upcycling as a concept. To that end, we are proud to partner with an organization like Rethink Food who is innovating with upcycling to create accessible options for communities. This is the genesis of our company, so it makes this relationship especially gratifying.”

Outcast has developed a first-of-its kind intellectual property that transforms waste stream food into high purity, nutrient dense, long shelf-life natural health products. The company is using its $10M Series A financing to invest in R&D, expand its manufacturing capabilities and recruit top talent. Its expansion includes the growth of its Dartmouth, NS, facility from 3,500 square feet to 12,000 square feet and this month they will open a new 45,000 square foot manufacturing and distribution facility in Burlington, Ontario - a plant that will be the world’s first, purpose-built facility dedicated to upcycling the many different types of waste stream food. These processing plant expansions will help Outcast divert more than 1,000,000 pounds of food per month from going to waste and meet the need for increased production, fulfillment and product development. 

About Dr. Darren Burke, Founder and CEO, Outcast Foods

Dr. Burke is a global leader in the upcycling movement. As a celebrated science-based entrepreneur focused on plant-based and social impact ideas to save the planet, he has created Outcast Foods, a company using his proprietary technology and localized food supply chains to upcycle surplus fruits and vegetables into high purity, nutrient dense, long shelf-life natural health products. Burke is a tenured university professor who first commercialized his scientific research into a new category of sports nutrition products with RIVALUS Inc. He grew the company from inception to $22M in annual revenue in five years, followed by a successful exit. He is a frequent presenter on the topics of nutrition, cleantech, sustainability and food waste mitigation. In 2021 he was selected as an Atlantic winner and Canadian Finalist for EY Entrepreneur of the Year.

About Rethink Food

Rethink Food is a nonprofit organization with the mission to create a more sustainable and equitable food system. Founded in 2017 by chef Matt Jozwiak, who saw firsthand how much good food from restaurants goes underutilized, Rethink Food was started with the objective of transforming excess food from restaurants, corporate kitchens, and grocery stores into meals for communities facing food insecurity and distributed via community-based organizations (CBOs). This has since grown into a framework of three practical models created to reduce food insecurity across communities: Rethink Certified, a partnership program with restaurants who prepare nutritious meals for communities as part of their daily operations; Rethink Cafe, one of NYC’s first pay-what-you-can community cafes, which invites everyone and anyone to enjoy a nutritious meal for a suggested donation of $5; and the Rethink Commissary Kitchen, which transforms donated food items into an average of over 7,000 nutritious meals a week for CBOs at no cost. Since April 2020, Rethink Food has served over 4.5 million meals, invested over $25M directly into communities and 90 restaurants across NYC, Chicago, San Francisco, Nashville and Washington DC, partnered with 185 CBOs to distribute meals, and helped save or preserve 180+ jobs. For more information, visit rethinkfood.org and find us on Instagram, Facebook &
Twitter.

About Matt Jozwiak, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Rethink Food

Prior to founding Rethink Food in 2017, chef Matt Jozwiak completed his professional culinary training with Pierre Orsi in Lyon, France, and worked on the culinary teams of a number of notable restaurants around the world, including Auberge de L’ile Barbe in Lyon, Noma in Copenhagen, The NoMad in New York and Eleven Madison Park, where he served as chef de partie at age 27. Jozwiak is a member of the board of Rethink Food and also serves on the advisory board of The Foundation for New York's Strongest. Jozwiak has published various opinion pieces on food insecurity and distribution in publications such as the New York Daily News and frequently lectures on these issues at Cornell and Columbia University. He is also a regular participant in food policy events.

 -30-