“More and more people understand that diseases or viruses transmitted from animals to human beings are becoming a regular occurrence. Coronavirus is not the first and sadly also will not be the last unless we overhaul the way we eat,” says David Yeung, the founder of Green Monday, a platform for a plant-based lifestyle.
Demand for plant-based food is growing in Asia. According to Yeung, the number of flexitarians, vegetarians and vegans in Hong Kong has increased from 5% to 34% in just eight years. And 79% of the population is willing to try plant-based products.
Two years ago, Green Monday launched OmniPork, a plant-based alternative for pork, the most used meat in Asian food. Their products, minced, strips and luncheon, can be used in traditional Asian dishes as a substitute for pig meat.
“The beauty of plant-based is just…whatever angle you look at it, no one is losing when we eat more plant-based. The planet benefits, animals benefit, your health benefits, it’s just win-win-win-win-win,” Yeung says.
David turned vegetarian 19 years ago: “It was very simple. I didn’t think it was right to cause any suffering. Any living being, any sentient being should be treated equally, so that was the moment I said to myself that it didn’t feel right to continue to eat meat.”
He’s hopeful that the future will become more plant-based: “Let’s hope with consumers, with the players in the Food and Beverage industry, big chains, and of course the governments all together. With all of us trying to move the needle, I do believe that change can happen.”
Watch the complete interview with David Yeung from Green Monday here.
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