A new study conducted by Green Monday, an initiative to encourage people eat meat-free meals, has found that 70 per cent of residents in Hong Kong are eating vegan meals on a weekly basis.
The results from the Hong Kong Vegetarian Habit Survey found notable increases in the consumption of plant-based food and a reduced intake of meat, with the amount of ‘hardcore meat eaters’ dropping by almost half.
The survey found that almost a quarter (23.7 per cent) of people living in the country follow a flexitarian diet, and a further three quarters of people are open to the idea. In addition, five per cent of females living there eat a meat-free diet whilst only 2.3 per cent of males follow the same diet.
David Yeung, founder of Green Monday, said: “Vegetarians in Hong Kong is a significant demographic that shouldn’t be neglected. This survey revealed that one in every four Hong Kong women practise flexitarianism and almost 5 per cent are vegetarian. While women have a bigger say in the family’s purchasing habit, this provides a big insight for the market.”
The amount of people who have heard of the Green Monday initiative and are going to be adopting a meat-free day for at least the Monday of each week has grown from 63 per cent in 2016 to 70 per cent.
Furthermore, the number of people that label themselves as ‘hardcore meat lovers’ has reduced from 27.1 per cent in 2014 to 15.2 per cent in 2018, in line with the global trend for reducing meat consumption.
One way that meat consumption is being tackled in Hong Kong is by the introduction of Omnipork – a brand also led by Yeung. Pork is one of the main meat products eaten in the country, and Omnipork is made from pea, soya, shiitake mushroom and rice proteins.
Yeung also fronts Green Common and Right Treat, encouraging people to try meat-free options, which ultimately are better for consumer’s health and for the environment, reducing carbon emissions and resources used for food production.