Miso made from local pulses, a second life for bread and a food cooperative in the middle of the city: here we introduce you to ten start-ups and producers who think and act sustainably. Zurich is a good breeding ground for these culinary innovators. Innovation is happening here - and you can be part of it right now. Today and now we are changing our habits towards more sustainability and enjoyment. Are you part of it?
Äss-Bar
In order to build sustainable food systems that, for example, resist climate change or stop the loss of biodiversity, new tools, new
Fresh from yesterday: that is the motto of Äss-Bar, which today employs over 100 people throughout Switzerland. They have already saved several hundred tonnes of bread and baked goods. Instead of ending up in the waste bin, yesterday's food should still be consumed the following day. The self-test shows: Croissants, cakes, sandwiches and breads taste wonderful. And it's not just the environment that's happy, but also your wallet: the baked goods can be bought at greatly reduced prices.
aess-bar.ch
Das Pure
Patrick Marxer brings umami to Switzerland - the fifth taste besides sweet, sour, bitter and salty. Marxer produces miso spice pastes or the first Swiss organic soy sauce. But not from soy, but from local pulses - often damaged ones that would otherwise be processed into animal feed. The basic principle is fermentation. By inoculating wheat, barley or pea with certain mould fungi and then a lot of resting time, products are created that we have never tasted before. And we would never want to do without them.
daspure.ch
Die Cuisine
The innovation cooperative dieCuisine on the FOGO site in Zurich Altstetten is the place where sustainable food and nutrition is lived with social inclusion and education. Here, a freshly prepared lunch is served daily in theBuvette (not during the pandemic) and in the Startruck, chefs from all over the world interpret their home dishes. Everything consists of seasonal organic & Demeter products from the region and is freshly prepared directly from the farm. The daily menu planning allows the complete use of the shopping basket and contributes to the avoidance of food waste. In the Reallabor, private individuals and companies experiment on sustainability and develop food suitable for grandchildren.
diecuisine.ch
Eaternity
The organisation Eaternity develops solutions to accurately and efficiently measure the environmental footprint of food products. The factors they take into account? Climate, health, water, rainforest, animal welfare, locality and seasonality. Thanks to an app, the food industry and consumers can see at a glance which products and dishes are climate-friendly. In this way, they can decide at any time for the good of people and the planet.
eaternity.org
Foodwaste.ch
Anyone who has ever planted carrots themselves knows how carefully and enjoyably they are eaten afterwards. Throwing away a third of them just because they are not in perfect shape or let them rot is simply unthinkable. But on average, every third food item in Switzerland is lost or wasted between the field and the plate. That is almost three million tonnes of wasted food per year. foodwaste.ch wants people to appreciate and enjoy food and has therefore created a platform to inform and educate. Through easy-to-understand illustrations, people learn to understand food waste and receive innovative solutions on how to save more food at home. foodwaste.ch also organises training courses and events and is co-publisher of the successful cookbook "Restenlos glücklich".
foodwaste.ch
Foifi
"I haven't met anyone yet who thinks waste is good," writes Tara Welschlinger on her website. So simple, so true. And that's why she wants to reduce mountains of waste. She lives by the ZeroWaste principle and runs Zurich's first ZeroWaste shop cafés: the FOIFI in district 4 and the ZOLLFREI in district 9. In both neighbourhood shops you can buy unpackaged and plastic-free: From bouillon in jars to organic vegetables to reusable baking mats. There are also hygiene products for men and women. Their cafés are also meeting zones and Welschlinger gives courses on how to switch to a life with less waste.
foifi.ch
Grassrooted
Here, Zurich residents can actively shape what the food system of our city should look like. For example, you can order a subscription of saved vegetables from the Grassrooted association or become a member of a food cooperative. In the new shop, rampe21, you can shop cheaper and find food from a basic ecological assortment for daily use. They are available in bulk or for open sale. With the membership fees, the farmers and producers benefit from financial support in the long term and even in times of crisis. The lively exchange between the members of the association should lead to greater consumer awareness and a more self-determined life for all. grassrooted.ch
Mehr als Zwei
It all started with the project "Your banana is not waste". The association Mehr als Zwei has saved almost 7,000 kilograms of bananas since the beginning in 2020. The association gives tips on how to enjoy slightly riper bananas and develops new products from the fruit together with partner companies; for example, dried banana sticks covered in chocolate. They are addictive, by the way. The focus of this and her other exciting projects is on the sensible use of food and the avoidance of food waste. mehralszwei.ch
Tastelab
ETH physicist and cook Susanne Tobler and computer scientist Remo Risi are making high-level cooking easier. They have already developed two apps with their teams: Tastelab reveals various preparation techniques, conversion and calculation functions. The new app Useful Units converts units from all over the world. Tastelab is also a catering company, for example with pop-ups at the WEF. In all their projects, Tobler and Gisi combine cooking and science. Tastelab deals with the questions of how we will eat in the future. What will be on the menu in 2050? How do culture, technology and digitalisation influence our eating behaviour? Which foods are climate-friendly and which are only perceived as such?
tastelab.ch
Too Good To Go
Anyone who can call a leftover sushi box or a surprise package full of food from the supermarket around the corner their own has probably used the Too Good To Go app. It originated in Denmark, is now active in over 14 European countries and the USA, and since 2018 in Switzerland - where today more than a third of all food produced is still wasted. The app connects bakeries, restaurants, supermarkets and catering businesses and shows users where they can pick up leftover food. In addition to the app, Too Good To Go has also launched the "Often Good for Longer" initiative for products with best-before dates.
toogoodtogo.ch
