From agriculture to food processing and distribution, each stage of the global food production has a significant impact on the environment. In fact, one-quarter of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions result directly from food and agriculture.

As consumers, we can do our part to reduce our carbon footprint by making eco-friendly lifestyle changes, and it can be as simple as buying local produce, planning your meal portions in advance, or even diversifying your meals by going plant-based. Along with government efforts such as the Singapore Green Plan 2030 and Singapore Food Agency’s ‘30 by 30’, which aims to nurture our agri-food industry’s capability and capacity for sustainable food production, many local businesses are now providing environmentally friendly dining options, and we can find sustainable menus more widely available around Singapore.

In this month’s blog, we are showcasing three organisations that make it easier for anyone to enjoy alternative food choices that are good for both our health and the environment.

Go green, one bowl at a time

Committed to making a positive impact in Singapore’s food scene, The Kind Bowl has created a delectable menu that uses sustainable and ethical ingredients, along with their aims of promoting food as a way to nourish our bodies. The humble plant-based Vietnamese restaurant goes by the belief that anyone can make a meaningful impact on the planet, simply by switching to just one plant-based meal a month.

This belief is at the heart of The Kind Bowl’s ethos, where they are dedicated to promoting sustainable eating and making it accessible to everyone. If you’re planning to head down to The Kind Bowl to enjoy comforting Vietnamese food, you can check out their bestselling dishes, which include Saigon Delight, the classic Banh Mi made with OMNI Luncheon Meat; and The Kind Pho, which is a blend of silky rice noodles and umami broth, with “no chicken” seitan and grilled oyster mushrooms. 

Their commitment to sustainability and healthy eating is inspiring, and serves as a reminder that we can all make a difference, one bowl at a time. To make a reservation at any of their three outlets, you can visit their reservation website.

Hegg-spect the un-hegg-spected

Singaporeans consume more than 5 million eggs a day, but local production can only meet around 20% of the demand. To help Singapore reduce its dependence on imported plant-based eggs and achieve our 30-by-30 goal, homegrown food tech company, Hegg, is constantly pursuing new and innovative ways to create delicious and versatile plant-based egg products. 

If you’re curious to try out this unique protein alternative, you can start with the Hegg Eggless Egg powder that you can use in various cooking applications – whether you like your eggs baked, scrambled, fried and more. But if you’re looking for other exciting additions to your plant-based meals, you can also find Hegg’s Eggless Kaya and Eggless Mayonnaise in the line-up. They are also constantly sharing accessible plant-based recipes that you can create using Hegg products such as the Hegg Brownies and Hegg Portugese Egg Tarts recipes, making it easy to incorporate their eggless products into your diet.By producing this tasty egg alternative, Hegg not only reduces water footprint and eggshell wastage in Singapore, they also extend their efforts toward supporting animal rights. To try your hand at creating some plant-based egg recipes, check out Hegg’s website.

Discover eco-conscious Mexican flavours

If you’re craving for flavourful and robust Mexican food, look no further than Super Loco, a Singapore-based restaurant that offers the best of Mexico’s gastronomic cuisine with a contemporary and sustainable twist. Committed to reducing their carbon impact and contributing to the environment, Super Loco has implemented four sustainability pillars that they live by:

1. Carbon Conscious Menu, where the menu is at least 50% plant-based and the carbon footprint of each dish is indicated
2. Tree Adoption, a partnership with Green Steps to aid reforestation across Borneo’s endangered rainforests and minimise carbon impact
3. Filtered Water, which has saved 9,000kg and 5 tonnes of carbon emissions from transportation of imported bottled water
4. Zero Plastic, which produces fully biodegradable straws with fully compostable delivery packaging

The restaurant is deeply inspired by its vibrant culture that honours home cooking, bringing to life their vision of serving contemporary Mexican cuisine influenced by authentic Mexican flavours. To make a reservation at any of their four outlets in Singapore, visit their website.

Sowing the seeds of sustainability with #GenecoFiVesta

To celebrate our fifth anniversary with #GenecoFiVesta, we have launched #SeedTheFuture initiative, and partnered with homegrown ice cream brand, Apiary, who is known for its premium ice cream flavours that are made with natural ingredients without any artificial colouring, to create an exclusive Geneco #SeedTheFuture ice cream. This limited edition flavour will be available from 1st to 30th April at all Apiary outlets and online store, and Geneco customers can enjoy 10% off this exclusive ice cream pint.

Our dedication to a more environmentally sustainable future is reflected in the carbon-neutral certified production process and the use of carbon-neutral packaging for serving the ice cream. The flavour combines the refreshing taste of calamansi lime with attap seeds, one of the seeds conserved at the Singapore Botanic Gardens Seed Bank, and it is perfectly balanced with a delightful blend of sweet and sour notes resulting in a zesty treat. Furthermore, the ice cream presentation is designed to resemble the planting of seeds: attap seeds are carefully placed in a concave dip in the ice cream and topped off with golden cereal crumbles that have been baked with butter and sugar to symbolise soil. This creative touch adds to the overall aesthetic appeal, creating a memorable sustainability experience with a sweet twist.

On top of that, we are also contributing $10,000 to the Garden City Fund, a registered charity and IPC of National Parks Board (NParks), to support the Singapore Botanic Gardens Seed Bank. This donation will help preserve the seeds of endangered plant species affected by climate change and habitat loss. 

To learn more about #SeedTheFuture initiative, visit www.geneco.sg/fivesta. 

Let’s continue to #PowerTheChange and seed the future for generations to come.