A dozen students from the University of Windsor are transforming fish waste into healthy, sustainable dog treats. The project is called ‘100% Fish’ and will divert millions of pounds of waste every year. “There’s the bones like the skeletons, scales, fat, even the eyes,” explained Razan Hammoud, bio lead. The fish gets thawed out and rinsed under cold water before it is weighed and placed in a pressure cooker for 45 minutes. Next, the waste is grinded in the food processor with other ingredients like pumpkin, flour, and eggs. The dough is then rolled, cut, baked, and packaged. The fish waste comes from John O’s Foods, Canada’s largest privately-owned lake fish company in Wheatley. Hammoud said John O’s Foods use 60 per cent of the fish. Students are using the remaining to make nutritional dog biscuits. “We’re waiting to make sure it’s completely safe. I’m sure it is,” said Hammoud. “We just want to make sure everything’s good, and we go through all the correct testing before we give it to any pet.” The six hours process results in what’s named Erie Eco Bites. “We want the packaging to be sustainable,” added Amal Jose, project manager. “Eco friendly, paper based, something recyclable.” “It’s a great opportunity to combine both Odette business students and biology students here at the Great Lakes Institute,” detailed Dr. Trevor Pitcher, Great Lakes Institute of Environmental Research (GLIER). “To combine and use both their strengths to produce this product and then produce essentially students that have training for the next generation of entrepreneurs.” There’s also a charitable component to the project. “Our goal is to for every treat dog treat we sell, we want to give back, one treat to the Humane Society,” said Jose.
