Projects

The Center for Sustainable Systems at University of Michigan conducted for Borealis Foods a “cradle to grave” life cycle assessment of Chef Woo (CW) instant ramen noodle, a unique product that supplies 20g of plant-based complete protein per serving. The purpose of this study is to compare environmental impacts – chosen here as greenhouse gas emissions, fossil energy use, land use and water use – with those from supplying an equivalent amount of protein from meat, including beef, pork and chicken. In addition, we compare the high-protein ramen with a meal of regular ramen supplemented with pork or chicken to provide 20g protein total as well as a Beyond Burger patty (plant-based beef analog). A secondary purpose of the study is to highlight opportunities for improvement in the environmental performance of the Chef Woo product chain and provide Borealis Foods with a benchmark against which improvement efforts can be measured. The primary audiences are both internal stakeholders at Borealis Foods as well as external customers, consumers and interested stakeholders.