Ditching meat for plant-based foods: The growing appeal of a vegan diet in Singapore

There are communities upon social media for assistance, more awareness within the dietary option and much more eateries and grocery stores offering plant-based choices, she said.

MORE BUSINESSES OFFERING VEGAN MEALS

Among the companies catering to the maximizing number of people looking for alternatives to meat plus animal-derived products is usually Everyday Vegan Grocer.

The supermarket, which also has the deli, opened in November 2020 plus currently occupies a two-storey shophouse upon Haji Lane.

Owner Amanda Lee said she began it so people could shop for vegan products without having to feel the tedious process of checking ingredients in conventional shops.  

Sometimes they may find a possible animal-based ingredient in the products when they get home from buying and feel dissatisfied with themselves, the girl said.  

“That’s why a lot of people actually fall off the bandwagon. They feel that there are so many things to think about … it really should not so difficult, ” she said.  

The 34-year-old is familiar with these issues. She started her trip into veganism about 10 years ago, acquiring two to three years to fully stop eating animal-derived products.

She desired to give people the kind of access to vegan options and prices that will she didn’t possess during her journey, she said.  

For instance, one of the offerings at the store are vegan hamburgers that cost S$5.

“We desired a food menu that would appeal to everyone taste-wise and price-wise, so everyone can try vegan and choose kindness. Even if it’s just one meal a week, ” the girl said.  

Big companies also have taken to catering to vegans. Cruise operator Royal Caribbean International and airline Emirates, for instance, offer vegan menus.

In July this year, Emirates started offering vegan options in its inflight menu for outbound flights from Singapore and in August, did the same for inbound flights to Singapore.  

“Demand for plant-based food offerings on our air carriers has increased significantly within the last decade, ” mentioned Mr Rashid ‘s Ardha, the carrier’s country manager with regard to Singapore and Brunei.

He mentioned that there is a particular increase in demand during Veganuary, a global movement encouraging a vegan diet plan that runs in January every year.  

In 2021, Emirates served as much as 10 per cent more vegan meals throughout all its plane tickets in January within other months.  

The requirement for vegan foods on its boats has been increasing, said Royal Caribbean International’s food and beverage director Francis Dias.  

It acts about 90 vegan meals a day in the main dining room of Range of the Seas, which is currently home-ported in Singapore. The dining room seats  more than one, 800 guests.

In comparison, when the company first rolled out there its vegan products in 2019, there have been just “a few orders” for vegan dishes in a day, he said.