Interview: Kelvin NG, ASEAN Business Development Director Green Monday
As part of the Veganuary SG 2021 campaign, Centre for a Responsible Future Vice President Heng Guan Hou recently had the opportunity to sit down with Kelvin Ng, Director ASEAN from Green Monday to learn more about Green Monday’s plans in Singapore and role in Veganuary SG 2021.
It’s Getting Easier To Eat a ‘Climate Cooling’ Diet
Fortunately, we in Singapore are already well on our way to changing our diets to a climate cooling one. Alternatives to dairy made from soy, oats, coconut and other plants are readily available. Plus, in the past year, meat alternatives have multiplied on the menus of many eateries, as well as at supermarkets.
Interview with Shane Rau, Founder of My Planet Natural
My Planet Natural is a Singapore online store looking for conscious consumers. Our focus is fairly simple. We provide consumer products for skin, body, and home that have a significant alignment with creating a better tomorrow. You would be forgiven for thinking we are all about natural products. While we do have many natural products. My Planet Natural is about safer choices for people and the planet
Interview with Sayang's
Sayang's is an online shop that offers plant-based bakes since 1 December 2017. Dark chocolate ganache cakes made with fair trade ingredients are our specialty. Prior to December 2017, Sayang's was known as The Vegan Bakes 'n' Makes. We decided to rebrand ourselves to reach out to a wider audience.
Interview with Scott Larsen, Director of Le Bono Collection (Nuzest)
Nuzest is a pioneer in the plant-based protein movement. Although the Nuzest range is entirely vegan, this is not written in large font on the bottles, rather, Nuzest products love to go head-to-head with their whey and non-vegan counterparts and win on performance, price, and taste. It's not good enough to simply have a vegan product in the market, it must be better, across key metrics!
The Rise and Fall and Rise Again of Meat
Public perceptions change. For example, in the 17th century, King James of England condemned tobacco use as a menace to society, yet in the 1950s, cigarettes were sometimes prescribed by doctors to boost people’s health, with advertisements such as one displaying a doctor saying, “Give your throat a vacation: Smoke a fresh cigarette.” Today, tobacco is back to being seen as a menace.
Interview with Paul Shapiro, author of “Clean Meat: How Growing Meat Without Animals Will Revolutionize Dinner and the World.”
Paul Shapiro served as a Vice President and helped lead many legislative initiatives to prevent abuse of farm animals, as well as engage with major food corporations to improve sustainability in their supply chains.
Monde Nissin’s Andy Kusumo talks Mycoprotein
Monde Nissin understands that future food needs to have three things: 1) Nutrition and Health, 2) Environmental sustainability, and 3) Taste and Versatility. Mycoprotein, which is the key and common ingredient in Quorn foods, has all these three things.
Dan Riegler on Natural Meat Alternatives
Karana uses natural, regional, Southeast Asian ingredients as meat substitutes in consumer and foodservice applications. We use plants like jackfruit, which require minimal processing, have a very low environmental footprint, a great nutritional profile, and are fun and dynamic for chefs to work with. We are launching our first products soon and have some exciting developments in the works to bring more plant-based options using local flavors.
Grand Hyatt talks Plant-based Menus
Plant-based food products are simply one part of living sustainably, however it is not limited to just that. On a micro level, more and more individuals are taking steps to live sustainably and this in itself is extremely promising. Businesses and organisations should be there to help support this concept, in whichever capacity they are able to do so. Here at Grand Hyatt Singapore, providing that support to the community is part of why we do what we do.
Grand Hyatt on Success of their Plant-based Foods
It’s very encouraging to hear that other hotels and restaurants are also introducing plant-based options, and we would be most happy to share our best practice and learnings with Hyatt hotels as well as non-Hyatt brands.
Michal Klar talks Investing in Future Foods
The time is now – this is an industry at its infancy in Asia-Pacific region, but already at the fast growth phase in other markets. There is an opportunity to get involved early – it’s like investing in Amazon or Google in their first years. Just like at some point it was clear that the world will go digital, there is no doubt the food system will shift towards sustainable, animal-free options for meat, dairy, and eggs.
Dr. Denise Conroy on Food Research and Future Trends
Consumers are demanding healthy foods that are produced in a sustainable manner. By understanding the science of our food, we can develop new products and production systems that deliver high health foods produced using environmentally sustainable methods.
Vikas Garg on Creating a Billion Plant-based Eaters
abillionveg is a global discovery platform for anyone looking for something plant-based. We’re making it easier for people to find great options, whether that’s a great vegan dish in Vancouver or an ethically produced skincare product. Our platform is entirely based on peer reviews. Since we launched our app in May 2018, we’ve grown to nearly 20,000 reviews in 63 countries.
Good Food Institute on the Future of Food
I believe we are now creating the 2.0 version of animal products alternatives. So we are not creating products that simply mimics meat or milk or egg. We are harnessing the power of technology and innovation to create foods that are better.
Paul Teng talks Food Security
There is a lot of scope for innovations and innovative enterprises!! And, there is abundant startup capital from VCs looking for good projects. But, everything starts with a good idea that meets a need and is a gap to be filled. There are also many quick background courses that can be taken, and many mentors willing to help throughout SE Asia.
Tria talks to DFSS
In the speeding pace of society today, I think everyone’s life is tough as it is, and we can afford a bit more empathy and not burden people with more obligations. This I feel is the acceptance required to solve the sustainability equation, because people are hardening up with all the lecturing.
Transformation through Vegetarian Diet
Before I made the decision to go vegetarian, I was a junk food, late-night snacking, eat-the-whole-big-pack-of-Lay’s-potato-chips kind of person. I was overweight and didn’t exercise at all.
Diabetes and Whole Foods Plant-based Diets - an Interview
I want to point out the veganism and a whole food, plant-based diet are quite different. Principally, they are the same - abstaining from eating any animal foods. The whole food plant based diet extends veganism by eliminating processed foods. It’s a great concept because human carnivory has a lot of negative consequences on the planet.