Taking a bite of the plant-based meat market

YOU see fellow diners tucking into their Chicken Schnitzel or Spaghetti Bolognese as you peruse the menu. And you find dishes such as NoChicken Mac & Cheese and NoBeef Burger with Crispy Onions staring back at you.

Yes, it's not a mistake. The Social Kitchen at Jurong Bird Park serves up plant-based meat products and it has been doing so since December last year.

The cafe at the tourist attraction is the second outlet of The Social Kitchen, and the first full collaboration with The Vegetarian Butcher - which was brought in to Singapore by global food service provider Unilever Food Solutions. The Social Kitchen is in the midst of setting up a cloud kitchen at PLQ Mall by November - with Unilever's support - and will continue to dish up such menus there.

Avelyn Lee, director at The Social Kitchen, said: "The cloud kitchen at PLQ Mall and our various platforms seek to make a difference in helping the food and beverage businesses in Singapore, while bettering the lives of its special needs and underprivileged beneficiaries. The pandemic has hit many F&B brands hard, some as old as 90 years old, and the main challenge for them is manpower and rental. Hence, the creation of our cloud kitchen will give them a fighting chance in today's Covid-19 world."

The social enterprise plans to grow to 50 kitchens across Singapore, and to date, half of the company's workforce is made up of special needs beneficiaries, the less fortunate, and matured workers.

Sustainable and nutritious food

A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU

Friday, 12.30 pm

ESG Insights

An exclusive weekly report on the latest environmental, social and governance issues.

Sign Up

Michael Ang, 26, is among this group.

The supervisor of The Social Kitchen has mild intellectual disability, and said that one of the challenges he faces is talking to customers. So he makes it a point to slow down when he speaks. He also credits his colleagues and bosses for being patient with him. On his aspirations, he said: "One day, I want to be a manager, or the general manager."

Supported by Unilever and with the supply of plant-based protein products from The Vegetarian Butcher, The Social Kitchen wants to encourage consumers to eat less meat and adopt a more plant-based lifestyle for the good of the environment.

Ivan Lu, managing director, Unilever Food Solutions Singapore & Malaysia, said when Unilever first brought its plant-based protein brand The Vegetarian Butcher to Singapore last December, they were looking for a partner who shared its vision of bringing sustainable and nutritious food to consumers, while also enabling them to showcase the versatility of The Vegetarian Butcher's portfolio. "The Social Kitchen's mission of providing employment for people with special needs, and supporting disadvantaged communities resonates strongly with Unilever's purpose of making sustainable living commonplace, and hence we knew we had found the right partner."

Both companies are members of National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre's (NVPC) Company of Good, which supports the City of Good vision - where individuals, organisations, and leaders come together to help others.

Mr Lu said they see the City of Good as one that cares for people and the planet, and is open to working with public and private sectors to drive positive change.

"It is clear that Singapore shares this vision of becoming such a city. For example, the Singapore Green Plan 2030 announced this year demonstrates Singapore's intentions to fight climate change. From Unilever's experience, we know that nobody can go it alone when it comes to tackling big issues. It will take the combined efforts of willing partners to make measurable progress, and that's exactly what the vision of the City of Good encourages.

"Through our continued partnership with The Social Kitchen, we want to encourage consumers to eat less meat and adopt a more plant-based lifestyle and... moving forward, we hope to become the leading provider of plant-based proteins in Singapore and place the brand's products alongside traditional animal meats in butchers and restaurants nationwide."

However, the journey was not without its hurdles.

The managing director added that any time consumers are asked to make a lifestyle change is a challenge.

"Going vegetarian or vegan straightaway may be difficult for many... and the big question was how Singaporeans would take to this completely new brand. But we knew that by working with The Social Kitchen, we could make this work. We collaborated with The Social Kitchen team on the menu at the Jurong Bird Park restaurant to fine-tune recipes to suit the tastebuds of Singaporean consumers and launched several social media campaigns to create hype and educate the public. We are happy to say that we have received positive feedback."

Smaller environmental footprint

Similar to Unilever, the philosophy of The Social Kitchen is one of collaboration, as "no man is an island and together, we can create a bigger impact", said Ms Lee.

Hence, in the spirit of giving back, both companies extended their partnership to distribute 50,000 plant-based burgers to Singapore's frontline workers and community organisations in the month of June to commemorate World Environment Day.

Mr Lu of Unilever said: "We planned the effort to coincide with Earth Day, to raise awareness about the importance of environmental protection. Through this initiative, we wanted to demonstrate that tasty food can be good for the environment too. So, we asked The Social Kitchen to help prepare burgers with The Vegetarian Butcher's plant-based meat, which has a smaller environmental footprint compared to beef patties. We distributed the burgers throughout the month of June to workers and volunteers from Changi General Hospital, Metta Café, NTUC Health Nursing Homes and Clinics, SingHealth institutions, and others - with assistance from NVPC."

Ms Lee added that this is just one small gesture to thank Singapore's frontline and essential workers for their efforts during this challenging period, and through the various forms of partnership with Unilever, "we know we have found the right partner to be with on this journey".

• Make goodness the business of your organisation in the City of Good at www.companyofgood.sg.