Swedish “Blood Brownie” tackles iron deficiency and food waste

Blood is one of the most nutrient-dense foods we have – yet more than 95 percent of all cattle blood in Sweden goes to waste. At the same time, nearly one in three women suffer from iron deficiency. Now, Axfoundation together with IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute and several research and development partners, are showcasing how overlooked food streams can become part of the solution. First up is an iron-rich brownie made with cattle blood, whole grains and chocolate, served at Pressbyrån's innovation lab PBX in central Stockholm.

The blood brownie is the result of the research and innovation project “Blood and Turnip”, which maps how Swedish raw materials otherwise discarded can be transformed into new, healthy, and sustainable foods.

“Almost a third of all food produced today is thrown away or lost in the food chain. It is a huge waste of resources, both economically and environmentally – and does not fit well with good preparedness”, says Emma Moberg, researcher and project manager for Blood and Turnip at IVL.

The research project has looked at what kind of food can be created from various side streams that today become waste or feed. It concerns fully edible foods that are still discarded. A striking example is cattle blood: today it mainly ends up as biogas or animal feed due to lack of demand in the food market – despite its high content of heme iron, the form of iron most easily absorbed by humans.

“Iron deficiency is common, especially among young women. We believe in boosting everyday foods with blood, which is rich in absorbable iron – but it must be foods people actually want to eat”, says Veronica Öhrvik, Project Manager within Future Food at Axfoundation.

Chefs and nutrition experts have worked closely with researchers and sensory specialists at Torsåker Farm, Axfoundation’s development center for sustainable solutions, to experiment with blood as an ingredient. The Blood Brownie – baked with 20 percent cattle blood, whole-grain rye flour, and Fairtrade cocoa – was chosen because chocolate’s taste and color complement the properties of blood. Along the way, both adults and children taste-tested various versions, responding with surprising positivity, even when the label clearly stated “blood.”

The Blood Brownie is the first product from the Blood and Turnip project to be tested in a real retail environment, starting September 3rd at Pressbyrån’s innovation lab PBX, located in central Stockholm.

"There are challenges with incorporating waste products into Swedish food culture. The biggest obstacles are not taste or nutrition – the resistance is more about our emotions and cultural norms. So, it will be really exciting to see what people think. Of course, a blood brownie will not solve the problem of food waste, but it can serve as a symbol to show that it can be done. We need more stories about the food of the future that are not based on artificial solutions, but that make use of everything we already have but do not use", says Elvira Molin, food waste expert and project manager for Blood and Turnip at IVL.

For more information, please contact:
Emma Moberg, emma.moberg@ivl.se, +46 (0)10-788 68 64
Elvira Molin, elvira.molin@ivl.se, +46 (0)72-561 05 93
Veronica Öhrvik, veronica.ohrvik@axfoundation.se, +46 (0)73-055 38 51

The Blood and Turnip project External link, opens in new window. is led by IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute in collaboration with Axfoundation, Matsvinnet.se, Ipsos, and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU).