{"id":5490,"date":"2021-08-05T04:16:36","date_gmt":"2021-08-04T20:16:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hypesingapore.com\/?p=5490"},"modified":"2025-11-26T11:56:25","modified_gmt":"2025-11-26T03:56:25","slug":"is-singapore-ready-to-be-plant-based","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/hypesingapore.com\/index.php\/2021\/08\/05\/is-singapore-ready-to-be-plant-based\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Singapore ready to be plant-based?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Is Singapore ready to be plant-based?<\/b><\/p>\n

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With the onset of social media influencers, plant-based lifestyles are at their early stages of becoming a trend. <\/span>Lavonne Yew<\/b> finds out more.<\/span><\/p>\n

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A plant-based diet refers to the abstinence of meat in one\u2019s meals. Photo courtesy of Ng Yee Teng.<\/span><\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”About Us” _builder_version=”4.4.7″ transform_scale_tablet=”” transform_scale_phone=”” transform_scale_last_edited=”on|phone” transform_translate_tablet=”” transform_translate_phone=”0px|48px” transform_translate_last_edited=”on|phone” transform_translate_linked_phone=”off” transform_rotate_tablet=”” transform_rotate_phone=”” transform_rotate_last_edited=”on|phone” transform_skew_tablet=”” transform_skew_phone=”” transform_skew_last_edited=”on|phone” transform_origin_tablet=”” transform_origin_phone=”” transform_origin_last_edited=”on|phone” transform_styles_last_edited=”on|phone” min_height=”1463px” custom_margin=”-136px||-385px|||” custom_padding=”90px|||||” transform_styles_tablet=”” transform_styles_phone=””][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_5,3_5,1_5″ custom_padding_last_edited=”off|desktop” _builder_version=”4.4.7″ transform_scale_tablet=”” transform_scale_phone=”” transform_scale_last_edited=”on|desktop” transform_translate=”0px|-53px” transform_translate_tablet=”” transform_translate_phone=”” transform_translate_last_edited=”on|desktop” transform_translate_linked=”off” transform_rotate_tablet=”” transform_rotate_phone=”” transform_rotate_last_edited=”on|desktop” transform_skew_tablet=”” transform_skew_phone=”” transform_skew_last_edited=”on|desktop” transform_origin_tablet=”” transform_origin_phone=”” transform_origin_last_edited=”on|desktop” transform_styles_last_edited=”on|desktop” custom_padding=”62px|0|27px|0px|false|false” custom_padding_tablet=”|0px||0px||true” transform_styles_tablet=”” transform_styles_phone=””][et_pb_column type=”1_5″ _builder_version=”4.4.7″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.4.7″ text_font=”Montserrat||||||||” text_font_size=”15px” text_line_height=”1.4em” header_font=”||||||||” header_2_font=”Raleway|700|||||||” header_2_font_size=”50px” header_2_line_height=”1.4em” header_5_font=”Montserrat||||||||” header_5_text_color=”#b3b3b3″ header_5_font_size=”14px” header_5_line_height=”0.5em” header_6_font=”Raleway|700||on|||||” header_6_font_size=”16px” header_6_letter_spacing=”5px” header_6_line_height=”1.8em” max_width=”659px” module_alignment=”center” custom_margin=”0px|79px|104px||false|false” custom_margin_tablet=”” custom_margin_phone=”-19px|79px|0px||false|false” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|phone” custom_padding=”7px|0px||||” header_2_font_size_tablet=”35px” header_2_font_size_phone=”25px” header_2_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” locked=”off”]<\/p>\n

BY
Lavonne Yew
Deputy Editor
Hype Issue #53<\/b><\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

Published on<\/h5>\n
Aug 5, 2021<\/h5>\n

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The power of social media influencers is not foreign to our society today. According to <\/span>Statista<\/span><\/a>, 51 per cent of 3,468 survey respondents aged 16 and above \u201cpurchased an item or product because it was endorsed by an influencer in Singapore, as of October 2020\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

It is thus no surprise that influencers are able to spread the beauty and benefits of plant-based lifestyles, despite meat still being very popular in our society. We spoke to three different influencers to gain insights into this topic.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ng Yee Teng, 16, is a student who promotes the vegetarian lifestyle on <\/span>her Instagram page<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/hypesingapore.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/nourishplant.png” alt=”xia qingling chu opera hua dan wuhan” title_text=”nourishplant” align=”center” _builder_version=”4.4.7″ custom_margin=”-35px|||||” custom_padding=”34px|||||”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.4.7″ text_font=”Montserrat|300|||||||” transform_scale_tablet=”” transform_scale_phone=”” transform_scale_last_edited=”on|desktop” transform_translate=”0px|-22px” transform_translate_tablet=”” transform_translate_phone=”” transform_translate_last_edited=”on|desktop” transform_translate_linked=”off” transform_rotate_tablet=”” transform_rotate_phone=”” transform_rotate_last_edited=”on|desktop” transform_skew_tablet=”” transform_skew_phone=”” transform_skew_last_edited=”on|desktop” transform_origin_tablet=”” transform_origin_phone=”” transform_origin_last_edited=”on|desktop” transform_styles_last_edited=”on|desktop” custom_margin=”31px|||||” text_font_size_tablet=”” text_font_size_phone=”14px” text_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” transform_styles_tablet=”” transform_styles_phone=””]<\/p>\n

Yee Teng has 13.3 thousand followers on her Instagram page promoting the vegetarian diet. Screenshot by Lavonne Yew.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cI started a food account so that I can find like-minded people and share wholesome nutritious food [with] everyone,\u201d says Yee Teng. \u201cI hope that through sharing recipes and yummy food photography, I can inspire people and change the stigma that vegetarian and vegan food are boring. My intention is to inspire people [to] eat more plant-based meals.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Ms Emily Yeo, 23, is a nutrition student who runs a similar <\/span>Instagram account<\/span><\/a> and a <\/span>food blog website<\/span><\/a> depicting her delectable dishes, desserts and bakes.<\/span><\/p>\n

She puts in visible efforts to garnish her food and bring out bright colours, making the vegan diet seem like a dream.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Ms Yeo\u2019s Instagram page promoting the vegan diet has 40.7 thousand followers. Screenshot by Lavonne Yew.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cI started my instagram page [at] around the age of 15, when I started to eat healthy. Initially, I started my instagram page mainly to document my \u2018what I eat [in] a day\u2019. However, soon many people started noticing me and my page, and started following me,\u201d says Ms Yeo.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Mr Goh Jun Xuan, 31, is an environmental engineer who also owns a <\/span>Facebook<\/a> and <\/span>Instagram<\/a> vegetarian food blog.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Mr Goh\u2019s Facebook page has 714 likes and 836 followers, while his Instagram page has a following of 3,256. Screenshot by Lavonne Yew.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cThese platforms allowed me to advocate a plant-based diet to a broader audience, including people who may not necessarily be on a plant-based diet but are curious about it,\u201d says Mr Goh.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

He also shared that his girlfriend started to adopt a plant-based diet after chancing upon his Instagram account and being inspired to try out his food recommendations.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

HYPE conducted a survey on 113 people in Singapore to gather their sentiments. 79.6 per cent of respondents do see a rising trend of vegan\/vegetarian lifestyles nowadays.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Marco Ang Tan, 20, has been a vegetarian all his life. He highlights the improvement in society\u2019s acceptance towards vegetarians.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cLast time, people will make fun of you for being a vegetarian,\u201d says Marco. \u201cBut now when I tell people I’m a vegetarian, they will be amazed and actually ask me how I [do] it and whether it\u2019s hard or tough for me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

People abstain from meat due to multiple reasons. <\/span>Religion<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>love for animals<\/span><\/a>, and <\/span>care for the environment<\/span><\/a> are just some of them.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Our respondents think that the most prominent reason why animal lovers still eat meat would be the convenience. There is a lack of options for vegans and vegetarians in Singapore.<\/span><\/p>\n

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In most circumstances, vegetarian\/vegan options are limited. Photo courtesy of Marco Ang Tan.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

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Marco underlines the increase in accessibility of vegetarian food in recent years.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I was in primary school, there [were] no stalls catered [for] my vegetarian needs. I had to survive [on] only either white rice and baked beans or Milo and unhealthy snacks,\u201d Marco recounts. \u201cThere are more vegetarian options [recently].\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Some of the biggest fast-food chains in Singapore, such as KFC and MOS Burger, can be seen putting in the effort to reach out to the vegans\/vegetarians.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

However, according to <\/span>TODAYonline<\/span><\/a>, KFC reported that their products are fried in the same oil as meat products. The mayonnaise that they use also contains eggs.<\/span><\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/hypesingapore.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/mos.png” alt=”xia qingling chu opera hua dan wuhan” title_text=”mos” align=”center” _builder_version=”4.4.7″ custom_margin=”-35px|||||” custom_padding=”34px|||||”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.4.7″ text_font=”Montserrat|300|||||||” min_height=”43px” custom_margin=”-20px|||||” custom_padding=”0px|||||” text_font_size_tablet=”” text_font_size_phone=”14px” text_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone”]<\/p>\n

MOS burger also informs customers in their Impossible Burger poster that their patty \u2018is cooked with other patties on the same grill\u2019. Image taken from <\/span>MOS Burger Singapore\u2019s Facebook page<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Their efforts have thus received backlash from the public. Our survey respondents cited: \u201cit defeats the purpose\u201d, \u201cit\u2019s not a wise move\u201d and \u201cineffective in promoting the [vegan\/vegetarian] lifestyle\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cStrict, religious vegetarians might not be comfortable with their plant-based dishes being prepared using the same oil or cooking utensils as other meat dishes,\u201d says Mr Goh.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

However, he appreciates the attempts of the Food and Beverage companies (F&Bs) in respecting and accommodating people with different dietary preferences. He is happy to see more plant-based options in various F&Bs in recent years.<\/span><\/p>\n

The second biggest obstacle that our survey respondents have noted is price.<\/span><\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/hypesingapore.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/nakhon.png” alt=”xia qingling chu opera hua dan wuhan” title_text=”nakhon” align=”center” _builder_version=”4.4.7″ custom_margin=”-35px|||||” custom_padding=”34px|||||”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.4.7″ text_font=”Montserrat|300|||||||” min_height=”43px” custom_margin=”-20px|||||” custom_padding=”0px|||||” text_font_size_tablet=”” text_font_size_phone=”14px” text_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone”]<\/p>\n

A plate of Honey Chicken costs $6 at Nakhon Kitchen. Photo taken from <\/span>S.K.YEO ERA<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

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A plate of mock Honey Chicken costs $10\u2013$18 at Zi Zai Vegetarian store. Photo taken from <\/span>Loh K W<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201c[Once], when I [ordered <\/span>prata<\/span><\/i>], I had to pay [extra] for the <\/span>dhal<\/span><\/i> curry (vegetarian curry) but meat-eaters do not need to pay extra for their curry,\u201d Marco points out.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to <\/span>Statista<\/span><\/a>, Singaporeans also mostly adopt plant-based diets for health reasons.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Research from the National Library of Medicine<\/span><\/a> has noted an increase in the risk of cardiovascular problems among youths. More youths are overweight and suffer from hypertension.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, there has been a debate as to whether the plant-based diet actually has health benefits.<\/span><\/p>\n

With reference to <\/span>Harvard Health Blog<\/span><\/a>, some studies have shown that plant-based diets are associated with \u201clower rates of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and some cancers\u201d, while some have pointed out that there is a higher risk of stroke for vegans and vegetarians than for meat-eaters.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, <\/span>Harvard Health Blog<\/span><\/a> has mentioned that these dietary studies are limited and are not the be-all and end-all conclusions, as there are other factors that cannot be controlled.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe term \u2018plant-based\u2019 has become a buzzword in the media, and there are many new developments in Singapore’s food scene,\u201d says Mr Goh.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

He adds: \u201cThese are all encouraging signs showing that Singapore is ready to adopt the rising trend of a plant-based diet. While cost is still a factor discouraging people from choosing plant-based alternatives, I expect that prices will eventually drop with growing demand as market forces come into play.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Should Singaporeans be preparing for a more plant-based future? How can we do so?<\/span><\/p>\n

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With the onset of social media influencers, plant-based lifestyles are at their early stages of becoming a trend. 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