It's finally here – legume mince! The first meat substitute consisting of 100 percent Swedish ingredients. The product has only five ingredients, one of which is a pinch of salt.
At Novax, they are constantly on the lookout for new innovations and brave entrepreneurs who, together with them, want to contribute to reducing both the climate impact of food production and innovations and business models that can reduce food waste.
"We currently have two billion people in the world starving while two billion eat far too much and waste a lot of food. We want to change that," says Pär Warnström, responsible for Novax's investments in the food sector.
Therefore, they are especially proud of their newly started company Färsodlarna, which is now launching the first entirely Swedish meat substitute in Swedish stores.
"We started the company in October 2020, and now in March, our first product, Swedish-grown mince, was released in stores," says Oddgeir Hole, CEO of Färsodlarna.
Read more about Novax and their investment in the future of food
Several years of development behind the business idea
Despite being a newly established company, several years of innovation, testing, and development have gone into the product. The idea was born at Torsåker Farm, Axfoundation's test farm and development center outside Upplands Väsby in Stockholm. Together with retailers, chefs, and farmers, they developed the innovation from bean to finished product. The result was a legume mince made entirely from Swedish ingredients and thus without soy.
"Today, we eat far too much meat in Sweden, which is neither good for health nor the climate. Therefore, at Novax, we have an ambition to help reduce the number of meat portions consumed in Sweden. Minced meat is the type of meat we eat the most of in Sweden, so it was natural to find a fair, tasty, and nutritious alternative to that product as the first step," says Pär.
Only five ingredients - one of which is a pinch of salt
The focus has always been on developing a climate-smart product with 100 percent Swedish ingredients - while also creating a product that tastes good.
"At first, we had an ambition for it to resemble minced meat in appearance, just like many other vegetarian alternatives, but we decided against it," says Oddgeir and continues:
"We realized that there were many negative aspects to that. Firstly, we would then need to use various chemical additives to achieve the appearance and color, which would be detrimental to both the body and the climate. Now, the mince consists of only four main ingredients: Swedish sweet lupin, field pea, gray pea, and residues from rapeseed oil production. The only additive is a pinch of salt needed to balance the flavor," says Oddgeir.
What impact would it have if Swedish consumers were to replace a meat portion with a portion of legume mince?
"It would have a significant impact if we could get many Swedes to do that. Four portions of legume mince have a total emission of 87 grams CO2e per portion - which is about 40 times less than the same amount of beef mince," says Oddgeir.
Sustainable for both the farmer and the consumer
Another unique aspect of legume mince is that they have used plants that have not been cultivated on a large scale in Sweden for a long time.
"These crops are not only delicious and very good nutritionally, but also good for farmers. Sweet lupin, which has a nutrient composition similar to soybeans, for example, binds nitrogen in the soil, reducing the need for nitrogen fertilization. Nitrogen fertilization can lead to greenhouse gas emissions and eutrophication of lakes and waterways," says Pär.
And Oddgeir adds:
"Since it is not currently cultivated on a large scale, we have the opportunity to, together with our farming partners, try to build a market that is sustainable for all parties in the long run. It becomes a way for us to help farmers operate a more sustainable agriculture."
Read more about Swedish-grown mince here
Article from Breakit: https://www.breakit.se/artikel/28841/endast-5-ingredienser-har-ar-forsta-helsvenska-kottvaxtalternativet
