SoyaPower to the People

My SoyaPower soy milk maker arrived today, and I made my first batch of homemade soy milk tonight. (The dried soy beans have to soak for 8-10 hours, so I put them in water this morning and made the soy milk when I came home.) This is a magical piece of kitchen equipment. You put in water and the soaked beans, press a button, and 15-20 minutes later, you have soy milk. And it tastes good. And the texture is smooth. After it cools, you can add sweetener or any other flavors you want. But actually, I tasted the unsweetened soy milk tonight, and I have to say it's quite refreshing without anything else added.

Okay, so you want to know about the plastic and the packaging? That, after all, is what we're here for, right? First the good news. Sanlinx, Inc ships the soy milk maker in its own box, so there is no extra packaging. Inside the box holding the machine in place are molded paper pulp forms rather than styrofoam.

Now, the plastic news. Plastic inside the box includes: a plastic bag covering the machine, plastic coating on the outside of the machine itself (more on that below), a plastic zip-lock bag containing a nylon scrubber and plastic brush for cleaning the machine, a starter supply of soy beans in a plastic bag, a plastic measuring cup, and a plastic drip pan inside a plastic bag. Some of the accessories are nice but unnecessary for me. I wish instead of automatically including these things, Sanlinx would list them as options. I don't need a plastic measuring cup or scrubber or even the beans. I already bought beans in anticipation of the new machine.

And okay, I did have a choice between the machine with plastic coating on the outside and the one with bare stainless steel. The plastic coating keeps the machine cool to the touch, unlike the regular SoyaJoy machine whose bare stainless steel gets very hot. I chose safety and convenience over plastic-conservation this time. I'm rationalizing by weighing this amount of plastic against all the packaging I'll be saving: at least 52 plastic-coated cardboard cartons and plastic caps per year!

Another nice thing about using the soy milk maker is that in addition to soy milk, you also get okara, which is the leftover soy bean fiber. The okara can be used in all kinds of recipes, from veggie burgers to breads or cakes. I'm actually wondering if I could use it to make a hummus-like spread for us, if I could only figure out how to make it taste like Haig's, the best hummus in the world.

 

And speaking of soy milk...

I just wanted to mention a couple of other alternatives to ready-to-drink soy milk.

Alternative #1: Buy powdered soy milk and mix it yourself. I tried this option last week. I bought bulk Giusto's powdered soy milk from Rainbow Grocery. (Berkeley Bowl also carries it.) I mixed it up before I'd used up my carton of Wildwood soy milk. By the time I was ready to try it a few days later, the powder had separated from the liquid, and the liquid was fizzy and sour-smelling. Soy milk beer anyone? Down the sink it went.

So I figured that since powdered soy milk, once mixed, doesn't last as long as the stuff with stabilizers and other fancy additives, I'd mix it as I needed it. For the last few mornings, I've mixed up a few ounces of powdered soy milk to lighten my tea. And I gotta say...

Feh.

It's chalky, just like you'd probably expect. And it separates in the tea, so you have to keep stirring it. I haven't tried it on my cereal yet. I really don't want to. I probably won't.

Alternative #2: Make it yourself on the stove with whole dried soy beans. This was a suggestion from a reader. I admit, I haven't really looked into it yet. Sounds complicated. It involves soaking and cooking and straining and making sure it doesn't burn. It's probably the most ecologically responsible option, but also the most time-consuming and labor-intensive.

Alternative #3: Buy a soy milk machine, like the SoyaJoy, and make it yourself. This was a suggestion from another reader. Yes, it's a large piece of equipment with a motor and a plastic outer covering. But the interior is stainless steel. And since I go through a half gallon of soy milk every week, maybe this is the best option in the long run. I wouldn't only be saving plastic waste, but all the rest of the packaging. I'm thinking about it. Need to do some more research.

Okay, probably I won't write about soy milk much more. I'm getting the idea that maybe it's not as much a problem for others as it is for me.
 

 

The soy milk situation: Write to Wildwood!

Send a short note to Wildwood! Read on to find out more!

Well, it's looking like the only way to buy ready-to-drink refrigerated soy milk without plastic is to spring for the 1-quart carton of Wildwood soy milk. It's more expensive that way. But the half gallon contains the same plastic spout and cap as the other brands. We're also buying more packaging when we buy the smaller sizes.

So naturally, I wrote to Wildwood to ask why they feel the need to use a spout and cap on the half gallon cartons, and this is their response on 07/16/07:

The plastic fitment (spout) is mainly used to ensure that bacteria does not enter into the soymilk and cause spoilage. Cartons without the fitment are much more likely to spoil with the folded top once opened. Most consumers also find it more convenient.

"Hmm..." I thought to myself. "Hmm... is there some difference in the spoilage rate between cow's milk and soy milk? Most cow's milk cartons don't have a plastic spout." So of course, I sent a follow-up e-mail asking that question, as well as questions about the carton itself and whether or not the quart-size would remain spout-free in the future. The folks at Wildwood, as opposed to Silk, were very friendly and prompt answering my questions. Here is the full response with my questions in brackets:

From: "Pulmuone Wildwood Customer Service" customerservice@pmo.com
To: beth@fakeplasticfish.com
Subject: RE: Soymilk
Date: Wed, 18 Jul 2007 08:03:28 -0700

Hi Beth,
You’re quite welcome… answers:

[1) Does soy milk spoil faster than cow's milk? I hardly ever see the plastic spouts on regular milk containers, just soy milk.]

#1 spoilage depends on the introduction of bacteria.

[Okay, didn't really answer the question. Here is 2) Do you plan to continue to sell the quart-sized containers without the plastic spout?]

#2 For the time being, yes – that may change in the future, but it’s not been decided. From a market standpoint very few consumers still buy quarts (most have switched to half gallons) and fewer and fewer stores are willing to carry them since they don’t sell well.

[3) Is there plastic on the carton itself? I have been putting the carton in the compost container. Is that okay to do?]

#3 The carton is made by a company called TetraPak – here is what they say on composting: “Composting can be an option for managing carton waste, but not on a large scale. The paperboard component of beverage cartons is degradable under proper (wet) conditions. A study carried out by an Australian research organization found that finely shredded milk cartons incorporated into compost heaps decomposed in 12 to 15 weeks. This makes them suitable for composting programs, although not at a large scale. The final product can be used as a soil conditioner or fertilizer.”

Thanks so much for writing!
Take care,
Aaron @ Wildwood
P.S. Did you know we now have recipes on our website?
http://www.wildwoodfoods.com/

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My experience so far is that Wildwood is a friendlier company than Silk (and less corporate.) Perhaps they would be receptive to a little consumer pressure. YOU can send an e-mail to Wildwood to let them know how you feel about the use of unnecessary plastic in their soy milk cartons!

Here is the URL for the Wildwood contact form: http://www.wildwoodfoods.com/contact_us.php

Or you can send an e-mail to customerservice@pmo.com.

If you do send an e-mail, please leave a comment to let me know. Who knows? Maybe we can make a difference.
 

 

Soy Milk & my letter to White Wave, makers of Silk

To date, my favorite brand of soy milk has been Silk. In fact, they have a green energy program. The irony is that the symbol of that green energy program is a green plastic cap on the soy milk carton. The name of the campaign: "Green Caps for Green Energy." As I mentioned in my review of Whole Foods, it's hard to find soy milk packaged without some plastic. So last week, I sent a note via the contact form on Silk's web site, and this is the response I received today:

Date: Thu, 21 Jun 2007
From: "Beth Terry"

Hi. I am trying very hard to eliminate plastic waste from my life. I have 2 questions regarding Silk soy milk in the carton.

First, is there any plastic coating on the carton? I have been told that today, many milk cartons contain a plastic coating rather than wax. What is the story with Silk?

Second, why is it necessary to have a plastic screw cap on a milk carton? The whole time I was growing up, we opened our milk cartons on one side without any kind of spout or plastic cap. The milk stayed fresh. I don't understand why all the milk and soy milk cartons these days have to include plastic. Is it really so hard to deal with plain cardboard?

Thanks in advance for answering my questions.

Beth Terry

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From: "WhiteWave Consumer Response"
To: Beth@coloringthevoid.com
Subject: Our Response to Your Email
Date: Wed, 27 Jun 2007 16:47:58 -0400

Thank you for your recent e-mail to Silk®. We appreciate your interest in our company.

At this point there are no nation-wide recycling standards. Each state and jurisdiction has different recycling rules based on cost-effectiveness, quantities of the materials in circulation and regional differences.

We are an environmentally concerned company and will always strive to use the most earth-friendly packaging available. Your comments are appreciated and we will not rule out any future changes, but at this point we feel that we are using the most environmentally friendly and cost effective packaging for our products.

Thanks again for contacting the Consumer Affairs Department.

Sincerely,
La Quita Williams
Consumer Response Representative

Ref: N688159

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So, basically they didn't bother answering my question about whether or not there was plastic coating on the carton and blew off my points about the plastic cap. Feh. They're losing favor fast. I realize they are a big company and their product is in every Starbucks in the country. They don't have to be nice, but would it hurt?