FAQs
Consult our points of sale. We try to keep the list as up-to-date as possible! Great news is also coming! Nevertheless, it is on our online store that you will find the latest products and the best promotions!
Yes! With extended producer responsibility (EPR), we assume responsibility for our packaging, and it is now accepted in the blue bin! Will it be recycled? While the film is theoretically recyclable, our recovery techniques struggle to achieve this. Nevertheless, freeze-dried products, like Néo Chips, need packaging that is particularly airtight and moisture-proof to maintain their crunch. As a result, packaging options are limited to ensure product preservation. We certainly wouldn't want to waste the product, after all the effort we put into saving it!
Even though saving food already largely offsets the environmental impact of our activities, we are implementing these solutions:
1. Reduce. The packaging-to-product ratio of our previous packaging was 4.25g per serving. Our new individual packages will be more practical and contain less than 3g of material. This is a 30% reduction!
2. Offset. For every bag of Néo Chips sold, we will finance Mission 1000 tonnes to remove plastic from our waterways that we have used. Of course, with the redesign of selective collection, our bags should not end up in waterways, but this ensures that our impact is positive!
PS Packaging is a sensitive topic. We have been taking training for over 5 years, notably with ITEGA (Institut de technologie des emballages et du génie alimentaire) to ensure we are up-to-date and taking the right actions. The life cycle of packaging is part of a whole, and we must consider the whole when analyzing the impact of a product. If packaging is an issue that is as important to you as it is to us and you haven't already watched it, we invite you to watch the report "Tout déballer". https://toutdeballer.uqam.ca/
That's an excellent question that we absolutely had to answer before investing in a project like ours. The short answer is that composting is definitely a better avenue than landfilling organic matter, but it's not the answer to food waste. As the following image shows, there are several solutions to implement before resorting to composting, including the production of Néo Chips!
For the long answer, the emissions related to the production chain of one tonne of pineapples are estimated at 1.7 t of CO2 eq. (https://myemissions.green/food-carbon-footprint-calculator/, consulted February 2023). Each tonne that is not eaten will therefore have generated these emissions unnecessarily. Composting indeed has a positive balance of -0.24 t of CO2 eq. (ICF Consulting, 2005), but this is far from offsetting the emissions generated upstream, and not all industry players compost their losses..! We will generate 0.8 t of CO2 eq. with the transport and landfilling of residual matter (ICF Consulting, 2005). Assuming that no recovered material would end up in a landfill, we can say that each tonne saved avoids 1.46 t of CO2 eq.
On the other hand, the company's activities inevitably generate greenhouse gases. The transportation of material from our most distant supplier, for example, generates 0.07 t of CO2 eq. The electricity consumption of a freeze dryer in Quebec will generate 0.01 t of CO2 eq., and the packaging used leads to greenhouse gases of around 0.07 t of CO2 eq. Thus, for every tonne of material recovered, we generate approximately 0.15 t of CO2 eq., which avoids 1.46 t.
We firmly believe it's worth it!
Exactly! Freeze-drying is a dehydration process that uses cold and vacuum rather than heat. This method allows you to retain 97% of nutrients, concentrate flavor, and make almost any food crunchy! Under optimal storage conditions (well-packaged), freeze-dried products can be stored for over 25 years at room temperature. The absence of water prevents the development of microorganisms and makes the products very light, ideal for hiking or even space travel! It was NASA, in fact, that developed the technique to feed its astronauts, and that's where we got the idea to name the company behind Néo Chips, Ellipse Conservation, a combination of circular economy and space travel! 🚀
We are currently working in collaboration with the 3 IGAs in Saint-Hyacinthe. We are also continuously developing new partnerships to increase our recovery volumes, but also to diversify our offering. Don't hesitate to contact us if you have good ideas!
Although pineapples grow abroad, the pineapple trimmings are indeed produced (and valorized!) here in Quebec! 🍍