GMG's Friday Find: Eggs-actly Sustainable!

We have all heard of egg substitutes like eggbeaters, or replacements that contain potato starch, tapioca flour, or tofu. Beyond Eggs is going beyond these to a plant-based egg substitute that the company Hampton Creek Foods hopes will revolutionize the industrial food production process.

Working with food science professionals, culinary scientists and professional chefs, the company matched the molecular makeup and nutritional profile of the hen egg with plant-based ingredients to create Beyond Eggs. The functional criteria of coagulation, emulsification, aeration, texture, mouthfeel and flavor provides food operators a match so that products look, taste and feel as if they contained real eggs.

The benefits of food production using Beyond Eggs are numerous. Plants require less water than feed crops. Humane issues surrounding laying hens and food safety concerns are eliminated. No worries about cholesterol or allergins. And as egg prices keep rising, the cost of using Beyond Eggs is dropping.

The product is meant to provide a cost effective and healthy alternative to companies that produce many of the foods we buy including baked goods, dressings, sauces, and pasta, with a cost effective and sustainable product that is good for you and good for the earth.  Would you buy a product that contained Beyond Eggs?  We'd love to hear your thoughts.

~Peggy
Garden Media Group

A Food (pickup)Truck

Food trucks have hit mainstream, popping up in cities of all sizes across America.  

But this "food truck" is different.  Truck Farm Chicago is a nonprofit organization that uses a 1994 Ford F-250 named Petunia to chauffeur a miniature, educational farm around town.

Petunia is "geared" (get it?) to educate Chicago youth and families about healthy eating. Your education includes a short tour of the farm, plant identification, taste tests, and sensory exploration. 

"I was excited about this project as a fun, unique and creative way to bring gardening and nutrition education to children all over the city—especially those who may not otherwise get to see how food grows up close,” co-founder Shari Brown says. 

"Making healthy choices can be challenging, especially when good fresh food and education about why it's important and how to cook it is not always accessible. Truck Farm is trying to do our part by using our exhibit to spark these discussions, give youth the tools to make healthy choices, and inspire them to use their own creativity to encourage healthy changes in their communities."

Read more about the project at GOOD or on the Truck Farm's website.  What a cool spin on an already cool idea.