Eco friendly alternatives to cheese 🧀
Updated: Mar 25
Who doesn’t love cheese? Whether it’s on your favourite pizza or on toast, cheese can give your meal or snack that extra little twist it just needs. However, cheese is not always good on carbon footprint. Do you want to live greener, and still have your cheese eaten too? Read on.
The impact of cheese and why regular cheese is unsustainable 🧀
The first reason cheese is unsustainable is because the milk that is needed to produce cheese often comes from cows that are emitting lots of methane, which has a global-warming impact 25 times higher than carbon. The carbon footprint of cheese is very high.
Moreover, there's also emissions involved in the production of grains that go into feeding the cows, which range from corn to alfalfa and other forage. Yes, it’s not only the cheese that has an impact, but also the produce that is needed to feed the cows that produce the cheese! Did you know that on average 4,5 liters of milk is needed to produce 450 grams of hard cheese?
What are the alternatives?
Plant-based cheese. Did you know that cheese can also be made with components derived from vegetables? Talking about wanting to live greener, here's a list of ingredients that you might not have been aware of that are also suitable to make cheese from; sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, cashew nuts, pine nuts, peanuts, almonds, soybeans. These ingredients combined with other ingredients such as coconut oil, nutritional yeast, tapioca, rice, potatoes, and spices can make the perfect non-dairy cheese!
Go local. In addition to consuming less dairy, we can also decide to get our products from the local farmer, which often produces its dairy already much more sustainably compared to big companies! Instead of grain, local farmers might use biodynamic farming practices, which regenerates land while simultaneously providing cows with nutritious and sustainable food. This is way better for carbon neutrality.
Willicroft
We need a plant-based cheese that is good for the planet and for our taste buds. Well, we found the real deal - Willicroft. Ideal if you're a vegetarian or vegan but still want to enjoy the taste and texture of cheese. We highly recommend having a look at their website, where you can find delicious recipes such as the Willcroft Young Dutch Toastie, or the Shakshuka with Greek White cheese. It’s a win-win for those of you wanting to lower your carbon footprint and have your cheese eaten too!
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