One week in a post #7: Buckwheat obsession, Carbon Negative Plastic, Bill Gates’ new book, and TikTok recipes

Now that climate beneficial eating is becoming more popular, and a number of individuals and organizations are getting into the space, I feel called to share with a broader audience what I encounter every single day through my work at Future Food and Food for Climate League. Weekly, I share startups I read about, products I tasted, founders I met (and a bit of personal life!). Every single concept I mention will be tracked on a public database we’re populating. The overarching goal is to increase general interest in this topic, acknowledging that the challenge is too big not to work cooperatively.

This initiative is possible thanks to our amazing Future Food Ecosystem, where our team is working diligently every single day to research, design, create, and commercialize new food solutions to help our planet.

My word of the week

NOUN

• Greg
  Given name
  (Remembering Greg Steltenpoh, founder of Odwalla and Califia)

Food, Climate and Innovation: three highlights of the week

Buckwheat Slowly Taking the Spotlight

The diversity in the plants we eat has decreased when we compare to our grandparent’s generation. But today, the importance of plant diversity for the sake of the health of our planet is becoming more and more clear to everyone. One of the most common grains we eat is wheat but this has a huge devastating impact with deforestation. But buckwheat is slowly taking the spotlight. Last March Russians started hoarding a trusty national staple to make sure they could survive the upcoming pandemic. Knorr and WWF inserted buckwheat among the Future 50 Foods, describing it as “one of the healthiest, nuttiest and most versatile grains” that “can also be used as a ‘cover crop’ to help keep weeds down and reduce soil erosion while fields rest during crop rotation”. And during 2020 we saw a number of food blogs and CPG brands promoting buckwheat-based recipes.

Let’ go, TikTok!

TikTok is getting deep into the food world. Last month the social media announced a partnership with Whisk to allow creators in the food space to link directly to recipes found on the Whisk app. This is being made possible by way of a new “recipe” button overlaid on related TikTok food videos. The feature makes a TikTok cooking video more actionable as it encourages viewers to not just watch the content, but also take the next step to save the content for later use. But there’s more. Restaurants are increasingly using the app to create a lot more videos and behind-the-scenes coverage. And big food service chains aren’t missing the opportunity to jump right in! Chipotle was the first major restaurant brand to launch a TikTok account, in May 2019. Dunkin’ joined last October (and saw a 57% increase in Dunkin’ app downloads during Launch Day, in comparison to their previous 90-day average), and Wendy’s, Taco Bell and Little Caesars also have accounts. If you’re not on TikTok, it’s time for you to jump in!

Keep on fighting plastic

Last week the US Burgers Restaurant Shake Shack announced a pilot of sustainable AirCarbon cutlery and straws at six locations across the U.S. AirCarbon is a certified carbon negative material that actually captures more greenhouse gas emissions than it emits into the atmosphere. What?! Yes, while it sounds too good to be true, the regenerative material has been certified as carbon negative by the U.K. independent organisation Carbon Trust, who has carried out the assessment. This pilot comes after a series of press recognitions, long years of R&D (the company started in 2003) and $100M+ of funding.

Climate Friendly products I tasted this week

Lil Bucks: Cereals

Talking about buckwheat, last week Itried something very new on my yogurt: sprouted buckwheat seeds. Buckwheat is rich in Magnesium, Fibers and Ruin, which are a good help to our digestive system, blood sugar level and ability to sleep. What I like about them:

• Storytelling / These guys are clearly on a mission to make buckwheat trendy again. And they’re doing a GREAT job! The brand is fresh and fun, they help consumers providing cool recipes to work with, and they’re combining their seeds with other trendy ingredients, such as turmeric, reishi and matcha.
• Packaging waste-conscious / Lil Bucks claims to be plastic neutral certified meaning they have partnered with rePurpose Global. For every bag they sell, they collect one back from the environment by supporting sustainable waste management projects in developing countries.
• Impact / Buckwheat requires no pesticides and few herbicides, draws phosphorus efficiently from the soil, and needs less nitrogen.

My full analysis here.

Dirt Kitchen: Air-dried Veggies

DirtKitchen Snacks are a product of Mondelēz, which last week announced they’re joining the Upcycled Food Association. The company is working with the tons of perfectly edible veggies that are labeled “unsellable”. From them, they create air-dried chips. What’s special about them:

• Creative seasoning / Dirt Kitchen adds a new twist to healthy snacks. They go beyond your conventional salt and pepper with using seasoning such as lemon garlic pepper and spicy chili and lime. Makes my mouth water!
• Mediterranean twist / The brand use Extra Virgin Olive Oil instead of all the number of oil alternatives usually found in chips.
• Air-dried / When you air dry a veggie you take the water out and everything else is concentrated, meaning you’ll find the same nutrients in our veggies as you would in the fresh version.

My full analysis here.

Avocado Leaf: Tea

Like the avocado fruit, the leaves have recently been discovered to be one of the “healthiest leaves in nature”. So far they were simply going to waste. Which is why I like this product a lot 😉

• Sustainable beyond the product / Avocado Leaf Tea uses 100% all natural and biodegradable single serve pyramid bags.
• Nutrition / In recent years the Persea americana Mill, aka The Avocado Leaf, has been studied for medicinal benefits. Doctors, pharmaceutical companies and universities have all found an interest in the medicinal properties of this extraordinary leaf. Learn more about it here.
• Market / The global herbal tea market has been largely benefited from the high demand for functional beverages and the launch of new and innovative flavors. Growth in demand has been registered for the past years and the trend doesn’t seem to slow down.

My full analysis here.

My reading of the week

How to avoid climate disaster, Bill Gates

I’m currently right in the middle of reading this book. To be totally honest I approached this reading with a mix of curiosity and sarcasm. From one side, Bill and Melinda Gates have been extremely active in channeling part of their fortune towards solutions to climate change. On the other hand, they’re among the ones flying to Davos on a private jet to talk about “how we could cut emissions”. Here are my most important takeaways from the book.

You know that the market is ruled by supply and demand, and as a consumer you can have a huge impact on the demand side of the equation. If you can afford to install a smart thermostat to reduce your energy consumption when you’re not at home, by all means do it. You’ll cut your utility bill and your greenhouse gas emissions. But the sad reality is that reducing your own carbon emissions does not really have a significant impact on the environment. And the chance that everyone can afford to do the same as fast as the Earth needs, is basically zero.

Bill invites all of us to look at our buying decisions more as a political act. Changing buying behaviors can be a crucial signal to the market that people want zero-carbon alternatives and are willing to pay for them.

“When somebody wants toast for breakfast, we need to make sure there’s a system in place that can deliver the bread, the toaster, and the electricity to run the toaster without adding greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. We aren’t going to solve the climate problem by telling people not to eat toast.” Basically, Bill’s point is that the problem is so big that it requires concerted political action. As consumers, it is fundamental to give signals to the market place, to write and shout about sustainable choices. Policy makers can take on only so many problems at once: and it’s every citizen’s role to help them decide what to prioritize. Engaging in the political process is the most important single step that people from every walk of life can take to help avoid a climate disaster. Bill suggests to make calls, write letters, attend town halls. “Do everything we can to help our leaders understand and prioritize.” He suggests to both look locally as well as nationally: a lot of the relevant decisions are made at the state and local levels by governors, mayors, state legislatures, and city councils. And why not to run for your local office?

The Future Food Institute believes climate change is at the end of your fork. By harnessing the power of our global ecosystem of partners, innovators, researchers, educators, and entrepreneurs, FFI aims to sustainably improve life on Earth through the transformation of global food systems.

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