Soya Yoghurt - Review

As a lacto-vegetarian I consumed natural yogurt at an alarming rate, so decided to try some vegan alternatives. Here are two soya ones, and a pea protein desert, thrown in for luck. I have split my review into four sections: eating experience, nutrition, and ethics, as these are the things I take into account when buying food. I’ve left out price as there wasn’t much difference.

Provamel’s Bio-Organic Soja

· Eating Experience

This was the most enjoyable product to eat on its own – it is sweetened with tapioca and corn starch, which put me off a bit, but actually gave it a well rounded taste. The texture is smooth, and there’s a fresh and creamy aftertaste, which may be a paradox, but it is a reality that I remember from eating low fat dairy yogurt. It’s not quite as satisfying an experience as my beloved Yeo Valley low fat natural yogurt, but comes close enough to stop me mourning the loss of yogurt. I imagine that I will use it in much the same way as I used to use dairy yogurt, i.e. guzzle it straight from the pot, look around guiltily, then guzzle some more.

4/5

· Nutrition

Both soya yogurts were very similar so I’ll write about them together. Although the recommended serving size is 125g, I think it’s more realistic to talk of 150g as a serving. (That’s not just me, is it?) So, in a Gwen sized serving you get about 75 calories, 6-7g protein, 3-4g carbohydrates, 3-4g fat, and reasonable amounts of everything else. Sojade’s product has next to no sodium, while Provamel’s has Seems like a pretty good deal to me. Live cultures in Provamel’s were bifidobacterium, Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus bulgaricus, while Sojade’s were Bifidus and Acidophilus. In laymen’s terms these are tummy friendly bacteria that do all the good things probiotic yogurt is said to do, including helping restore balance which has been disrupted due to antibiotics.

5/5

· Ethics

I LOVE this company. Originally set up to produce protein rich foods at an affordable price for developing countries, They are just all-round goodies, and to top it all off they have an IBD Ecosocial label, (http://www.provamel.co.uk/sustainability/ecosocial.htm) which guarantees that they are socially, economically and environmentally ethical. Especially cool is the fact that they decided to build their processing plant by a canal, so that for the main part their soya beans are transported by barge. I don’t know about the vehicles used to transport the products, but they clearly have a real desire to be as ethical as possible, just look at one of the projects they’re involved in: “The ‘Vitagoat’ is a bicycle like contraption that is helping to combat malnutrition and poverty in Africa and Asia and which we part fund. A small, entirely pedal-powered bicycle like machine, it produces nutritious soya milk without electricity or running water, cooking and grinding soya beans merely through ‘legwork’. Each unit can generate between 5 and 10 jobs, up to 30 litres of soya milk per hour and precious nutrition for literally 100s.”

5/5

Provamel have an online quarterly magazine: http://www.provamel.com/downloads/foodandlifestyle%20Summer10COMPCLOSED.pdf

· Conclusion

Feel good food 5/5

Sojade’s Fresh Soya Speciality

· Eating Experience

If you imagine what soya milk might be like if it were approaching a solid state, then you have a good idea of what this tastes like. It has the same soya aftertaste too, which isn’t something I enjoy very much. As the ingredients are purely water, soya beans and live cultures then it makes sense that its characteristics are very similar to soya milk. It was ok on its own, but would be much better accompanied by some jam or something else to add to the taste. I would buy this again to use in savoury cooking, e.g. to make mushroom soup creamier.

3/5

· Nutrition

See Provamel’s review.

5/5

· Ethics

Sojade is a Breton company with a background in organic farming. They use French soya beans which are organically produced, and GMO free. They seem like a really good company – their website says “In this complex world we live in, the values ​​behind the company are focused on respect for humans, nature, material, maintenance of good practice and common sense.” Energy used is partially from their solar panels, they are installing a wind turbine, and their vehicles are electric and hybrid. They are the same company as Sojasun, which are non-organic and don't seem to shout about their ethics too much. They also sell cow and sheep milk products, but don’t say much about how their animals are treated so I can’t comment on this. There is a rumour that the starter culture is animal based: http://plants-vs-vegans.blogspot.com/2010/11/sojade-sojasun-and-bacteria-problem.html

3/5

· Conclusion

Good for cooking, questionable suitability 3.5/5

Redwood’s Wot No Dairy? Plain dessert

· Eating Experience

In its defence, this product describes itself as a dessert, rather than a yogurt, so maybe my misled expectations caused my disappointment, but this isn’t something that I will buy again. It tastes like one of those cheap supermarket deserts that are sort of a cross between custard, mousse and yogurt and are more for the sake of having something a bit naughty, rather than actually experiencing any enjoyment. It felt artificial and without genuine character – the Katie Price of the vegan desert world. The ridiculous name with a kool misspelling put me off too. Not impressed.

1.5/5

· Nutrition

The small pot provides 122 calories, 4.5g fat, 16g carbohydrates, 3.6g fat, 1.45 mg sodium. It doesn’t have any nasty added extras.

3/5

· Ethics

Unlike the other two companies Redwood doesn’t mention the process which their soya beans undergo which makes me think that they may use chemicals to extract the milk, rather than doing it mechanically like Provamel and Sojade. I took an immediate dislike to the company when I spotted a basic grammar mistake on the website (there instead of their), but putting the pedant in me to one side, they seem to be making a good effort to be ethical. I should also remember the adage about stones and glass houses, and remind myself to learn the difference between a desert and a dessert. First impressions make me think that their ethical stance roots from a commercial shrewdness, rather than a true passion, but that might just be their PR failings. Environmental policies are available to look at, and they have won a large number of ethical awards – including Best Vegan Company in the Vegan Environmental Awards 2007 - so they must be doing something right. On top of the grammar mistake, I am also prejudiced against them because they are an American company which focuses on meat and dairy product alternatives. This probably says more about my issues than anything about them…

4.5/5

· Conclusion

Might be good for nostalgic eating here and there 3/5