Zero waste products to start the year off right

Local businesses make the fight against food waste their mission. They transform damaged vegetables and shriveled fruits to give them a second life. Here are the favorite products of Florence-Léa Siry, who is launching this month the “Zero waste challenge”, in collaboration with Recyc-Québec and Guillaume Cantin, of La Transformerie

Véronique Larocque
Press

Spreads, marmalades and sauces Survivors of La Transformerie

Thanks to Les Rescapés products, offered in more than 125 points of sale, a ton of unsold fruit is revalued each week. Despite this success, La Transformerie does not wish to expand. Rather, she would like to disappear. “The analogy I often like to make is that of the weed. With the collection of Survivors, we cut the weed, but if we stop this project, it will continue to grow. What we want to do is uproot it, ”explains Guillaume Cantin, managing director and co-instigator of La Transformerie.

To achieve this, the non-profit organization will create, in 2022, a laboratory on reducing food waste. The project, which is currently the subject of a fundraising campaign, aims to find the best solutions to reduce waste at source, all in collaboration with stakeholders in the food sector.

Some ways to taste Les Rescapés products

“The apple pie spread is really great with cheeses, like aged cheddar, or with roast pork. Citrus marmalade is super good with a terrine ”, advises Guillaume Cantin.

Season 2 Grain Crackers

The young Montreal company Saison 2 gives a second life to spent grains (malt residues produced during the manufacture of beer) by transforming them into crackers and sticks. “The spent grains are very healthy. It’s made up of 20% protein and 70% fiber. In fact, it’s as protein as chickpeas, ”explains Chloé Roy-Michel, co-founder of Season 2.

The company sources its supplies from Montreal microbrewers. “In the regions, there is no problem with the spent grains. Breweries give them to farmers, who give them to their cattle. We take the spent grains in Montreal, because here there are so many microbreweries that the City cannot manage all the spent grain produced and they end up in the trash. ”

Some ways to taste crackers

Chloé Roy-Michel recommends serving crackers and sticks on a cheese and cold meats platter as an aperitif. Cracker-beer-cheese pairing ideas are available on the Season 2 website.

The Date Heart drink from Creation Delicia

The aromas and taste of the Coeur de date drink are surprisingly similar to those of coffee. Yet this product only contains roasted and ground date stones, a part of the fruit that otherwise would have gone to waste. “It is a product very rich in fiber. It’s good for the heart and for people who have cholesterol, ”explains Borhan Ben Aissa, co-owner of Création Delicia.

Native of Tunisia, the three owners of the Quebec-based company drew inspiration from the traditions of their country of origin to develop the Cœur de dates drink. “The first coffee created in the world was coffee made from date stones,” says Borhan Ben Aissa, who wants to introduce other Tunisian products to Quebecers, such as liquid salt.

Some ways to taste the Coeur de date drink

Without caffeine, this drink can be consumed at any time of the day… and of the night. It is therefore perfect to accompany a dessert in the evening or when you wake up to start the day.

The Pretty Ugly Company salsa

While working in the restaurant business, Lysanne Bourret and Pierre-Olivier Gendron noticed the extent of food waste. To help reduce this problem, the couple decided to create The Pretty Ugly Company, which has been in business for less than a year. “We want to offer a product that is not only good, but also helps the environment,” summarizes Lysanne Bourret.

In the salsa cooked in Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville, we only find ugly fresh surviving vegetables, says the co-founder. “It gives a much lighter, less pasty texture [que les autres salsas du commerce]. Available mainly in grocery stores in Greater Montreal for the moment, salsa comes in three flavors.

Some ways to taste salsa

You can obviously serve it with a bowl of chips, as a snack. It also goes very well with a pasta sauce or when cooking fish in foil, suggests Lysanne Bourret. “At home, we use it with just about anything. ”

Loop juices

Since its founding in 2016, Loop has increased its product offering. In addition to juices, the company offers beer, gin, sodas, smoothies, and even soaps. All while saving tons of food.

“The Loop model is a circular economy project. We take fruits and vegetables rejected from the food industry and transform them into different products to ensure that not only they are put back into distribution, but also to show that we can create value with the waste of a another person, ”explains Pascale Larouche, head of public relations. In 2022, the company plans to develop new products, including a second gin.

Some ways to taste Loop products

In January, after the excesses of the Holidays, some decide to consume more healthy products. To all of these people, Pascale Larouche suggests Deep Green juice, which contains cucumber, lettuce, celery, spinach and kale.