Introduction
A major biscuit manufacturing site produces a combination of coated and uncoated biscuit products across multiple production lines.
As part of normal manufacturing operations, line rejects and surplus biscuits are generated onsite. While established routes already existed for animal feed applications, the business wanted to explore whether more of this material could remain within the human food chain.
The objective was to create a solution that retained more value from surplus product without adding operational complexity to the manufacturing environment.
The Challenge
The site required a practical system that could clearly distinguish between material suitable for food reuse and material intended for feed applications.
Any solution needed to:
- work effectively within a live factory environment
- support operational efficiency
- maintain food safety and product integrity
- create clearer pathways for higher-value reuse opportunities
The challenge was not identifying reusable material, but making separation simple, practical and consistent within day-to-day production.
The ZRO Approach
Working collaboratively with the site team, ZRO helped develop a structured grading and collection system that enabled surplus biscuits to be separated according to their most appropriate end use.
A simple product grading process was introduced to help factory teams quickly identify whether material should remain within the food chain or be directed towards feed applications.
To support this, dedicated dolav collection systems were introduced for products intended for food reuse, while existing feed collection routes remained in place.
ZRO also implemented an internal grading framework to determine how recovered biscuit material could be repurposed within secondary product applications, including Choc Nibbles and Broken Biscuits.
The result was a clear and practical reuse system that increased food recovery while fitting seamlessly into existing production operations.
implementation
The project included:
• development of onsite grading procedures
• introduction of dedicated food-safe collection systems
• clear separation between food and feed pathways
• integration into existing production processes
• ongoing material tracking through internal reporting systems
This enabled surplus biscuits to be consistently redirected into the most appropriate reuse pathway while maintaining operational simplicity onsite.
The Results
Between September 2025 and April 2026:
26 tonnes of biscuit remained within the human food chain
During this period:
45% of total surplus volumes were successfully diverted to food reuse applications
This represented a significant increase in higher-value food recovery, with more surplus biscuit product retained within the food chain rather than being directed towards feed routes.
The Outcome
Better separation created better outcomes.
By introducing clearer grading and reuse pathways, more surplus biscuit product was successfully retained within the human food chain, unlocking greater value from existing production output.
When food stays food, value stays higher.
This project was delivered prior to the transition of Sweetdreams Ltd to ZRO Group Ltd in June 2026.
