Say Cheese!
The Cheese (32d) Edition of the Negative Foods Newsletter
As I slip into the holiday season each year, I generally reduce exercise and increase wine and cheese consumption.
Should I instead emulate my 16yo daughter? Amelia HATES cheese. But most of us love cheese, and unfortunately cheese has a bigger carbon footprint than you might expect.
We’ve covered beef in this newsletter, and now it’s time to talk about cheese. Because if we want to be Negative Foods eaters, we need to be mindful of cheese choices.
Abstinence from Cheese. During my episodes of veganism (how I spend the first few weeks of each year), cheese is difficult when dining out, as many American restaurants add cheese to salads ands soups (and other things) without notice. Abstinence, of course, is a binary way to avoid cheese. And in theory it would work. But did abstinence really ever work? No, it did not.
Plant-Based Cheeses. My friend Ky Keenan sells terrific plant-based cheeses under her brand Happyist. And, of course, there are national and global brands of plant-based cheese as well, such as those from General Mills, So, Daiya, Miyoko's, Kite Hill and others. For some reason, however, vegan cheeses don’t make it into the regular rotation in my family. I would expect that plant-based cheeses have a lighter carbon footprint than industrial dairy cheeses, but the devil is in the details, which vary materially from one supply chain to another. I tend to think of these plant-based alternatives similar to how I think about plant-based meat (Impossible, Beyond, etc). I’ll eat them before I’ll eat anything from an industrial meat/dairy source, but I’d rather eat a responsibly produced/sourced version of the real thing (see Regenerative Dairies) below).
Retailer Leadership. Lidl in May of this year announced a partnership with Wyke Farms to roll out a carbon neutral cheddar cheese in the UK. In Lidl’s words:
Our pledge is to be the first supermarket to produce carbon neutral Cheddar cheese, delivered in a credible and responsible way through an ongoing programme with our dairy farmers and supply chain partners. By working with Wyke Farms, who already farm and produce cheese to leading sustainability standards, we will collectively measure, reduce and finally offset our carbon emissions. Our aim is to use carbon credits generated through sustainable practices within the supply chain to support any offsetting needed. We'll work with a third party partner, The Carbon Trust, to ensure our approach is robust and stands up to scientific principles.
Good retailers take seriously the role of representing consumer demand, so kudos to Lidl for this project. The more that food retailers push food brands to eliminate carbon footprints, the faster the revolution.
Offsets & Efficiencies. There are dairy and cheese brands that achieve carbon neutrality by reducing their emissions and purchasing offsets. One example is Beemster, which has been certified climate neutral since January 1, 2020. Beemster achieved this milestone with energy efficiency projects, with energy recycling, by purchasing renewable energy, and by offsetting remaining emissions by supporting projects such as forest conservation in Brazil.
Regenerative Dairies. We need all of our food supply chains to convert to regenerative practices wherever possible, including our dairy supply chains. In cheese, a great example is the Von Trapp Farmstead in Vermont, which “made the decision to go beyond organic to practice regenerative agriculture, a method of farming that builds soil health, fosters biodiversity, improves the groundwater supply, and reverses the effects of global warming by sequestering carbon in the soil.” Global dairy giant Danone is making massive investments in regenerative dairy projects. And Danone has partnered with my friends at RePlant Capital to invest in dairies making the transition. It is early days, and I’m hugely supportive of these efforts.
AgTech Opportunities. Dairy operations might be a ripe space for AgTech startups to make a difference. One example is Fyto, a startup out of MIT that uses cow manure (converted in a digester) to feed plants that are grown to make feed for dairy cows. Fyto’s CEO Jason Prapas explained to me recently that this process reduces input costs, decarbonizes the dairy supply chain and improves the performance of the cows. I’m rooting for Fyto!
The views in this newsletter belong solely to Paul Lightfoot (and not to BrightFarms or other organizations). This newsletter accepts no advertising. Learn more about this newsletter at https://paullightfoot.substack.com/about.