Food Made Good Awards 2021 Winners Announced

Header image: original image by Helena Lopes on Unsplash

We watched the recent COP26 from afar and pondered what can we do as individuals. So much is out of our control – big policy issues like land use and power generation. We do love our food in Hong Kong, and we tend to eat out a lot, so our collective food choices when dining out make a huge difference, but it’s not always easy to make the right choices.

Sustainability consultancy Food Made Good HK can help us to make those choices. They are assisting restaurants and their partners in the F&B space to measure and reduce their environmental impact through many means.

They help:

Restaurants and suppliers make (sometimes) small, incremental changes with measurable impact. Get in touch with them to ask about what your business can improve right now.
Consumers make informed decisions as a trusted expert in sustainable practices. If your favourite restaurant needs some improvement, use this template to let them know.
Landlords to make a real difference. Lead sponsor Henderson Land covers their tenants’ sustainability audits and provides support for continual improvement of their results.

Last night, the Food Made Good Awards 2021 were held at The Mira Hong Kong, celebrating those in the industry who are already making meaningful change and normalising sustainability.

Business of the Year

Sponsored by Henderson Land

Awarded to the Food Made Good member who has excelled during the past year in their overall sustainability rating.

The nominees are:

MO Bar at The Landmark Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong
Haoma Bangkok
SOMM at The Landmark Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong

And the winner is...

SOMM at The Landmark Mandarin Oriental

“We are committed to searching for the most ethical and sustainable ingredients while minimising our environmental footprint and being conscious about social responsibility.” – SOMM

SOMM has been working very hard over the past year to create a clear plan of action that allows for continual improvement. Their main feature is theeir wines-by-the-glass offering, focusing on sustainable, organic and biodynamic wines from smaller growers and producers.

Environment Award

Sponsored by Sea Change

Awarded to the Food Made Good member who has gone above and beyond in implementing effective practices across all environmental areas including valuing natural resources, best supply chain and waste-management practices.

The nominees are:

Ladies Recreation Club (LRC)
MANA!
Alibi – Wine Dine Be Social at Cordis, Hong Kong

And the winner is...

MANA!

“All our food waste is turned into soil, pet feed or fish feed here locally in Hong Kong.” – MANA!

From its inception, MANA! has strived to tackle the issue of food waste. All organic food matter, from kitchen cuttings and coffee grounds to juice pulp and customer leftovers, is managed through their fully comprehensive compost and recycling system, diverting over five tonnes of food waste away from landfills each month. The senior team have driven the zero food waste and zero plastic commitment since day one by investing in the right machinery, private contractor compost collection, plant-based packaging and education programmes to raise awareness through public talks, organised events and showcased documentaries.

Society Award

Sponsored by Hysan Development

Awarded to the Food Made Good member who has stood out in the society section of the sustainability rating and demonstrated that they have strived to improve over the past 12 months.

The nominees are:

Flame at Towngas Avenue
MO Bar at The Landmark Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong
Haoma Bangkok

And the winner is...

Haoma Bangkok

“Guided by our sous-chef, the newly hired migrant workers helped to prepare food that was then sent to 10 communities.” – Haoma Bangkok

COVID-19 has caused nearly one million job losses in Thailand, with thousands of migrants in the hospitality sector finding themselves hungry and homeless. Shocked by this crisis, Haoma Bangkok, an organic restaurant committed to sustainability, launched its #noonehungry programme to help. Chef DK and his 37-strong team all volunteered, raising over one million baht in donations via a crowdfunding site. To date, they have cooked and distributed more than 200,000 free meals – and created paying jobs for some of those unemployed workers at the same time. Their good work has not gone unnoticed; they received a Champions of Change award from The World’s 50 Best Restaurants and were on the cover of The New York Times.

Sourcing Award

Sponsored by Pernod Ricard

Awarded to the Food Made Good member who has pushed the boundaries of sustainable sourcing, improving the sourcing score in their sustainability rating, as well as other improvements made in the past 12 months.

The nominees are:

SOMM at The Landmark Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong
Sakti Elixir Bar at Fivelements Habitat (since closed)
MONO

And the winner is...

Sakti Elixir Bar at Fivelements Habitat

“Reframing healthy food as medicine for our broad customer base demanded a tight communications plan that highlighted attractive plant-based wholefood as an essential aspect of the wellness journey.” – Satki Elixir Bar at Fivelements Habitat

Arnaud Hauchon, Culinary Curator at Satki Elixir Bar at Fivelements Habitat, inspired a progressive mindset amongst staff and guests alike by pushing the “food is medicine” brand ethos to create a sustainable and mindful F&B framework. A serene and informed guest experience, combined with conscious marketing, was supported by careful sourcing of fresh, seasonal produce and quality ingredients from local and organic farms that brought the nourishment concept to life.

Supplier Award

Presented by Department for International Trade, British Consulate-General

Awarded to the supplier member for an incredible initiative that has helped the food service to tackle one big issue.

The nominees are:

And the winner is...

Belu

“Customers visiting venues with Belu enjoy high-quality filtered water with a much lower carbon footprint than traditional bottled water. Belu gives 10% of profits to WaterAid, giving venues the opportunity to transform lives worldwide through something as simple as the water they serve.” – Belu

Single-use water bottles contribute to the staggering 3,200 tonnes of waste that Hong Kong’s hospitality industry generates daily. Belu is helping to reduce this by enabling restaurants to bottle their own still and sparkling filtered water on-site in reusable bottles – a solution that dramatically lowers their carbon and waste footprints. Moreover, Belu’s bottles are all made from recycled glass. In its first year in Hong Kong, Belu has installed 15 systems with such partners as The Upper House, The Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong and Dough Bros. A signatory of the Climate Neutral Now pledge, Belu accurately reports on emission offsets, and the company is committed to donating all profits to WaterAid until 2030.

One Planet Plate Award

Awarded to the chef who has created the most sustainable and planet-friendly dish according to five criteria (low carbon footprint, serve more veg, local and seasonal, sustainable seafood, low waste).

The nominees are:

Chef Sheldon Fonseca from The Mira Hong Kong
Chef James Oakley from Alibi – Wine Dine Be Social at Cordis, Hong Kong
Chef Punam Chopra from SpiceBox Organics

And the winner is...

Chef Punam Chopra from SpiceBox Organics

“Our challenge was in creating dishes whose ingredients can be used in more than one dish to reduce waste and streamline operations, yet provide flavour and a separate identity in each dish.” – Chef Punam Chopra

Breakfast burrito

The humble breakfast burrito has been transformed into a vegan and vegetarian delight at SpiceBox Organics. Chef Chopra worked to create a dish whose ingredients (rice, crunchy veggies and mint chutney) can be used in more than one dish, providing new flavours and textures for customers to enjoy and limiting the amount of food waste created. Ensuring that the ingredients can be used in more than one dish is made possible by training the restaurant staff to be conscious of the different variations of ingredients, thereby giving customers more variety and options in their meals and making sustainability mainstream yet unique.

Good to Go Award

Awarded to the food-service provider who has led by example and moved towards or maintained a sustainable packaging and delivery alternative.

The nominees are:

And the winner is...

TREEHOUSE

“Minimising food waste is core to our offering; we measure food waste daily, and even our cling wrap is plastic free.” – TREEHOUSE

TREEHOUSE strives for perfection when it comes to in-house food-waste management. Big compost bins reside outside the shop so that compostable packaging and leftover food can be mixed, shredded and composted commercially. Spontaneous spot checks take place in the kitchen to ensure that nothing useful gets thrown away, while closed-loop systems take care of glass bottle cleaning and training and clear bin labelling help to support staff.

Landlord Choice Award

Awarded to the landlord who has best supported their F&B tenants through integrating sustainability into their operations.

The nominees are:

And the winner is...

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST)

“A contractor collects separated food waste from 11 locations on campus daily. To reduce weight and make transport easier, the waste is dehydrated, and compared to the previous year, more than 50% more food waste was collected and converted to energy or compost.” – HKUST

HKUST has set itself an ambitious target: to achieve a 75% reduction in the landfill waste it produces by 2028. Food waste from the campus’s many restaurants is the single biggest contributor, accounting for 40% of the total. Senior management is playing an active role, with a Sustainable Operations Executive Committee, chaired by the Vice-President, sitting regularly. Efforts are being made to collect data daily and to train catering staff in the importance of food-waste separation and recycling. Camera installations above bins have helped to identify waste types and enable better data analysis. Renovations have included a centralised dishwashing and food-separation facility. Already these initiatives are bearing fruit and easing pressure on landfills. Importantly, compulsory waste separation and recycling are part of the tendering process for new F&B tenants at HKUST.

Innovation Award

Sponsored by InvestHK

Awarded to the product or service that has had a measurable, positive impact on the food-service industry and consumer behaviour in Hong Kong.

The nominees are:

And the winner is...

Circular City

“Our technology tracked over 1,000 borrowed and returned coffee cups, proving our customers will quickly shift their mindset away from ingrained convenience culture.” – Circular City

Circular City uses technology to support the reduction of plastic takeaway waste in F&B outlets. By adopting a “partnerships for the goal” approach in order to gain the expertise needed to pilot an alternative to the disposable coffee cup, Circular City introduced Hong Kong to Choose: Reuse. In just six weeks, the technology captured valuable insights needed to upgrade and perfect the service, which captivated both the hearts and minds of all generations by tracking and delivering a waste-free way to enjoy coffee on the go.

Food Hero Award

Sponsored by Fresh Accounting

Food Made Good’s personal award for an individual who has used his or her influence to create substantial positive change in the food system.

And the winner is...

Kisum Chan

“Our mission at Rice Inc is to end the cycle of poverty and the cycle of waste. Our vision for 2025 is to impact over 10 million lives – that includes farmers, their families and communities.” – Kisum Chan

Kisum Chan and his co-founder, Lincoln Lee, established Rice Inc to tackle both the social and environmental issues in the rice industry by selling their own brand of rice, Paddi.

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