Lightlife Organic Smokey Tempeh Strips Fakin Bacon Review

Originally formed all the mode back in 1977 and known as Tempeh Works, Lightlife Foods is known for its tempeh and perhaps more so for its bestselling constitute-based Smart Dogs. I picked up some Lightlife Tempeh (smoky bacon strips) at the Grocery Outlet for $3 (normally around $5) and was surprised at how practiced it was. I've had mixed experiences with tempeh but Lightlife's Smoky Tempeh Strips definitely ranks among the all-time that I've had. They are really easy to melt (just pan fry on medium heat in a few drops of olive oil for a few minutes) and make for a really good bacon substitute.

Like bacon, you can melt it to your desired level of crispiness, and it works well in sandwiches with lettuce, tomato, avocado, etc. Besides like bacon, it's pretty loftier in common salt, merely I find that just two strips is sufficient for lunch or breakfast rather than the recommended serving size of four strips – so that's a more than reasonable fifteen% of my recommended sodium intake.

In most other means, it'south far superior to bacon and other meats in terms of nutrition and sustainability (more below).  I've picked upwardly Lightlife products several times over the years and sometimes put them downwardly again (depending on the ingredients) only this time I noticed that the tempeh is organic then I took a hazard on it. The company has a long history, with multiple owners, which probably explains why Lightlife products (ingredients) have fluctuated over the years. In fact, Lightlife reformulated recipes and ingredients for many of its products in 2021 and it looks like all products are now vegan.

Lightlife ownership

The history of Lightlife Foods is like a microcosm for the history of the found-based foods move in full general. Since the late 1970s until 2000, Lightlife grew operations in Massachusetts, experimenting with a range of constitute-based products over the years. And so Lightlife was acquired by giant food conglomerate, Conagra – I recently profiled Conagra Brands and how its takeover impacted the integrity of Earth Remainder. As mentioned on Wikipedia, acquisition of institute-based brands by giant corporations was happening a lot at the time:

The sale was made due to the changing landscape of the natural foods industry; competitors were purchased my Kellogg's and Kraft Foods, and a small independently endemic company would not exist able to compete with such huge food conglomerates.

Well, it'south a shame, but perhaps it was true as Lightlife's president has commented: "We were just two hippies in 1970s. We did non programme on building this size of a visitor." American investment firm, Brynwood Partners, acquired the company in 2013 and and so it was sold to Maple Leaf Foods in 2017. Maple Leaf Foods sounds idyllic but is actually i of Canada'due south biggest meat companies.

Peradventure to establish some distance between the meat and vegan branches, Maple Leaf Foods established an independent subsidiary, Greenleaf Foods that encompasses its 2 found-based brands: Lightlife and Field Roast.

Lightlife tempeh strips – Ingredients & Nutrition Facts

Ingredients: Water, Cultured Organic Soybeans (Organic Soybeans, Lactic Acid From Plant Sources), Organic Tamari Soy Sauce (Water, Organic Soybeans, Common salt, Organic Booze), Organic Cider Vinegar, Organic Cande Surgar, Natural Smoke Flavor, Sea Common salt, Less Than 2% Of Organic Onion Powder, Dark-brown Rice, Beet Powder (Color), Organic Spices, Xanthan Gum.

It'due south nice to see that the tempeh is organic. In a Dark-green Stars Project post on sustainability of tofu and other soy products, I mentioned that it'due south a skillful idea to seek out organic products (to avert neonics for one thing).

At that place are a lot of health benefits to eating tempeh – even WebMD gives information technology a good write up and they about never commit to anything! Because it's fermented past a fungus, it can be a good source of B vitamins, including some B12. It as well contains a lot of fiber that'due south probably skilful for gut health, as well as antioxidants, calcium, fe, and protein of grade.

Lightlife Versus Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods

Back in summer 2021, Lightlife issued an open letter to Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods maxim, "enough with the hyper-candy ingredients, GMO's, unnecessary additives and fillers, and faux blood."

Incommunicable Food's response was equally heated and drew attention to the fact that Lightlife is owned by a meat visitor and referenced cheap tactics used by the meat industry to undermine the plant-based food movement.

Beyond Meat'south response basically pointed out that Lightlife's accusations just don't utilise to their products:

If they were articulate on our ingredients, they would see that our products are made with uncomplicated, plant-based ingredients. With no GMOs. No synthetically produced ingredients. Our products are designed to deliver the same gustation and texture as animate being-based meat but are better for you and the planet. – Forbes

I guess the letter was timed to coincide with Lightlife's reformulation of its products and fifty-fifty though it was claimed to be a conversation starter (!) information technology clearly looks like a PR stunt. If anything it just highlighted the differences between Incommunicable Foods and Beyond Meat. (I've previously rated Beyond Meat at four.5 Dark-green Stars while Incommunicable gets iii Green Stars).

Lightlife carbon neutrality

Lightlife'due south packaging announces that information technology (or rather, parent visitor Greenleaf Foods, which owns Lightlife and Field Roast) is a carbon-neutral visitor. Carbon emissions are starting time via 2 air current energy products (certified by Green-eastward) and a forest conservation funding (certified past the American Carbon Registry). The company also has targets for reduction of carbon emissions:

We've reduced our greenhouse gas emissions and are neutralizing our remaining unavoidable emissions. By 2025, we aim to reduce our ecology footprint past l% and our absolute carbon emissions by 30% by 2030.

In fact, Greenleaf's parent company, Maple Leaf Foods, also states that it is carbon neutral and provides the criterion date that Lightlife forgot to mention (2015).

Unfortunately, on the Maple Leaf consumer site, links to the carbon strategy and sustainability are all cleaved. I eventually found information and a sustainability written report on the Maple Leafage Foods corporate site. Sheesh! Anyhow, communication bug bated, it looks like Maple Leaf (and Lightlife) are on a legit journeying to meliorate on touch on.

Ethical rating for Lightlife tempeh strips

Here's a summary of how I feel virtually the social and environmental affect of Lightlife tempeh strips, which I'm rating iv.5 out of 5 Green Stars:

• All Lightlife products are vegan. Adopting a institute-based diet is the top thing you can practice to mitigate deforestation & climate change and to end animal cruelty and the insidious negative impact that the meat manufacture has on society.
• Lightlife's main ingredient, the soy bean, is a legume that reduces the need for nitrogen fertilizer by fixing nitrogen from the air and too enriches the soil in which it is grown.
• All of the major ingredients in the tempeh are organic – choosing organic (or at least not-GMO) is important for soy products if you intendance about bees and other pollinators.
• All Lightlife products are non-GMO certified since 2017.
• Lightlife'due south parent company, Greenleaf Foods, is a carbon neutral company (as is Lightlife's grandparent, Maple Leaf Foods).
• Room for improvement: Lightlife could do a better job at communicating on some social and environmental issues. Near chiefly, where are the soybeans sourced from?

I have no love for meat companies – even the social touch of the meat manufacture is horrendous. So my skepticism runs high while researching Lightlife and its parent corp., Maple Leaf Foods. However, I've been increasingly thinking that information technology's good to support vegan brands even when endemic by less ethical corporations, if we desire things to modify. And information technology genuinely looks like Lightlife is a brand that's worthy of support.

Summary scores (out of v) for Lightlife tempeh strips:

• 4.v aureate stars for quality and value
• 4.5 green stars for social and environmental impact

If you have a dissimilar stance, delight share your rating! Until side by side fourth dimension, stay condom : )

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Source: https://ethicalbargains.org/2022/04/17/lightlife-tempeh-strips-sustainability-review/

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