Unable to find a cheese substitute that met her nutritional criteria, a Montreal entrepreneur created her own version using an unusual category of ingredients for this type of product, legumes.
Posted at 8:00 a.m.
“I had to completely stop dairy products and nuts when I breastfed, because my children were suspected of having an allergy. It was the nudge to look for a nutritious and nut-free solution,” says Betty Zoller.
His journey, like that of many consumers who reduce their animal protein intake, has been gradual.
More than a question of health
Arrived from Venezuela in 2013 for his MBA at McGill University, Mme Zoller first became a vegetarian. She therefore continued to consume cheese, especially since after graduating, she worked for more than six years in the marketing of a dairy product manufacturer.
When I became a vegetarian, it was really for the welfare of animals. But by dint of informing myself, I saw that the carbon footprint generated by the production of dairy products was enormous. The health aspect of plant-based food also speaks to me a lot.
Betty Zoller from Aviva
She therefore turned to cashew-based cheese substitutes, often referred to as “false mages”. But when she wanted to eliminate nuts from her diet, these products no longer did the trick. And the “false-magi” based on coconut oil, whose protein content is much lower, did not satisfy her. So she experimented with legumes, then started a company, Aviva, which uses chickpeas, lentils and white beans for its plant-based alternatives to cheddar, feta and gouda flavors.
The “eco-responsible” aspect of legumes weighed in the balance, but Aviva has not yet calculated the carbon footprint of its foods.
PHOTO SARKA VANCUROVA, THE PRESS
The “feta-style” (in the middle) and “cheddar-style” products made from legumes developed by the Montreal company Aviva
“I might like to hire a consultant to do this because I’m missing the carbon footprint of some ingredients, like pea protein and nutritional yeast. »
It therefore emphasizes the main ingredient, the legume. The production of one kilo of cooked chickpeas generates 42 times less CO2 than that of a kilo of cheese, she argues, citing data from the Healabel site.
Less than beef, more than poultry
Cheese lovers are not always aware of this, but these foods lead to significant GHG emissions.
The carbon footprint of cheese is smaller than that of beef or lamb, but more than that of pork, poultry or milk, shows a ranking used by the World Economic Forum.
“The impact comes from all the resources we need to raise a cow, to feed her, and also greenhouse gases related to manure and digestion,” explains Catherine Houssard, research officer at the International Center for reference on the life cycle of products, processes and services (CIRAIG).
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS
Catherine Houssard, research officer at the International Reference Center for the Life Cycle of Products, Processes and Services
If the footprint of cheese is much larger than that of drinking milk, it is because its manufacture “concentrates the fat and proteins of the milk”, therefore requires “a lot more milk per kilo of finished product”.
And the distance traveled to reach the Quebec consumer, even if it is less for milk and cheese from here than for legumes from afar, is not enough to tip the scales.
Transport accounts for less than 10% of the total carbon footprint of food. It is agricultural production that is responsible for a large part of the emissions.
Catherine Houssard, research officer at the International Reference Center for the Life Cycle of Products, Processes and Services
To get closer to the taste of cheese, Aviva called on the Institute of Nutrition and Functional Foods (INAF) at Laval University. “They did several tests with different ferments to find the cultures that give more cheesy flavors,” says Ms.me Zoller.
Food science and nutrition students from McGill University were also called in to fine-tune the nutritional values.
The orange “cheddar style” sample we tasted was dense, with a somewhat grainy texture, reminiscent of aged cheese, and had a fairly successful flavor. The “feta style” seasoned with herbs and spices had a more elastic consistency and a very garlicky flavor.
For the moment, the products are only offered in presale as part of a crowdfunding campaign, but they should be distributed in grocery stores in the fall, predicts the entrepreneur.