Specialty Food Magazine

Shop Like a Climatarian With more than 325 food and beverage products qualifying to use the Climate Neutral Certified label, "climatarian" shoppers—who support companies who are reducing their carbon emissions—have a clearer roadmap. In addition to the label, certified companies are listed on climateneutral.org with details of their current and future impact. Take chocolate maker Alter Eco, whose profile shows current year and in-progress reduction actions, such as its Scope 1, 2, and 3 cradle-to-consumer greenhouse gas emissions from making and delivering their products and services. The number of climatarians will continue to grow, according to Kearney's 2022 Annual Earth Day Report. The data shows that by 2030 the collective actions of consumers, food companies, and lawmakers will shift the majority of U.S. consumers' routine food choices to be climate-directed. Fueling it are the younger generations, with respondents 18 to 44 years twice as likely to consider the environmental impact of their food choices.—D.S. Walden Mutual Bank Seeks to Support Sustainable Food Systems A new bank focused on lending to small, sustainable food companies and other organizations in New England and New York has been gaining traction as both a funding source and a networking hub for its customers. Walden Mutual Bank, which received its Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation charter last fall, is providing loans of up to about $4 million to $5 million to companies that meet its strict criteria around environmental and socially sustainable business practices. "This is not a bank where we are just churning out transactions," Christine Bascetta-Gath, senior vice president of lending at Walden Mutual, says. "We are really getting to know our businesses and what we refer to as our borrowing partners on a very deep level, and making sure that we have a complete understanding of their business model and what they are really contributing to the area." The bank's borrowers are situated throughout the food chain. They include small, sustainable farms and other agricultural enterprises, along with the infrastructure that supports them, such as processing facilities and slaughterhouses, as well as CPG makers and a handful of retailers, with several more retailers in the pipeline, and some meal-kit subscription companies.—Mark Hamstra Milking Mushrooms Favors Mother Earth The dairy-free market is about to shift. Mushrooms— nutritional and functional powerhouses—are a source of a new and sustainable dairy alternative. Oodaalolly Chocolate, known for its premium Philippine-sourced cacao, is producing a Swiss-style chocolate using "mushroom milk," a protein derived from trichoderma reesei, a fungus retooled using recombinant DNA technology to reproduce the taste and texture of conventional dairy. Compared to traditional animal-derived milk proteins, mushroom milk emits 97 percent fewer greenhouse gases, consumes 97 percent less surface and groundwater, and uses 60 percent fewer fossil fuels.—D.S. Whiskey Goes Wild Flavored whiskey surpassed $1.5 billion in sales from 2021 to 2022, according to NielsenIQ, with far out combinations luring in new customers. Skrewball Peanut Butter Whiskey, Kings County Distillery's Chocolate Whiskey made with Mast Brothers Chocolate, Taffer's cookie dough-flavored Dough Ball, and Piehole Pecan Pie Whiskey have turned a tumbler of whiskey into dessert. Not in the mood to sip? Consumers can chew on whiskey-laced charcuterie like Creminelli Fine Meats' Salami Minis made with High West Whiskey or Elevation Meats' breakfast sausage-inspired salami made with maple whiskey and spices.—D.S. TRENDS & HAPPENINGS PHOTO: OODAALOLLY CHOCOLATE Denise Shoukas is a contributing editor to Specialty Food magazine. Mark Hamstra is a regular contributor to Specialty Food magazine and SFA News Daily. 12 SPECIALTY FOOD SPECIALTYFOOD.COM

• Cover