Seoul gov't promotes veganism to fight climate crisis

Reusable tote bags, bread and vegetables are part of how one can pursue vegan and zero-waste lifestyles. Gettyimagesbank

Campaign introduces foods, fashion items and supports startups

By Ko Dong-hwan

The Seoul Metropolitan Government is launching a campaign to raise awareness of veganism by promoting diverse food choices and incentives for related startups.

The Citizens' Environmental Cooperation Division under the city government's Climate and Environmental Headquarters announced on Tuesday that the government has several campaigns to promote veganism in near future. The city government stressed the importance of veganism in lowering greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, citing a U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization report released during the U.N. Climate Change Conference 2021 which showed that agriculture and food accounted for 31 percent of the world's total GHG emissions in 2019.

The city government first plans to disseminate what veganism means and why people should adapt to it, as the majority of the public are still unfamiliar with it. They will use the city's communicative platform on Instagram to describe the vegan lifestyle. During a special week from Sept. 30 to Oct. 6 for Tastes of Seoul, a city-sponsored culinary event coinciding around World Vegetarian Day on Oct. 1, the city will roll out a guidebook introducing 50 vegetarian recipes recommended by domestic and global gastronomists. The city will promote the country's signature vegan dishes to the world and promote them in various ways.

The city government also will support startups dedicated to veganism via its official business support channels. Seoul Startup Hub, one such channel, will help the companies with its Kitchen Incubator program to develop vegan foods, sell them, check their marketability and help the companies open their businesses in shared private kitchens. A vegan macaron, a substitute meat made with king oyster mushrooms and a mushroom cream pasta sauce without dairy ingredients are examples of a vegan food created inside the Kitchen Incubator, according to the city government.

This ground beef product is made with a meat substitute called Veggie Garden by Nongshim. Courtesy of Nongshim

The city government also plans to hold a special pavilion for vegan lifestyle experiences at the Korea Vegan Fair 2022 held in COEX from July 8 to 10. The pavilion will exhibit various vegan products created by startups with the help of the city government's subsidies and other kinds of support. The event will showcase vegan foods, from meat substitutes to cheeses, as well as other products not made with animal products, such as cosmetics, handbags and fashion items.

The pavilion will also feature programs demonstrating how to cook vegan dishes and not generate waste during the process. Julian Quintart, a Belgian TV personality in Korea, will join the program on July 9 to show zero-waste cooking techniques, including recipes that use banana peels.

The pavilion will also introduce a section where visitors can bring their own reusable containers to obtain detergents and other home products consumed on a daily basis. This will teach the value of reusable containers over single-use disposable containers, thus reducing waste.

Vegan Tiger, the first vegan fashion brand in the country that doesn't use animal skin, will also showcase its clothes and other eco-friendly products at the pavilion.

Veganism is also being practiced right now at City hall. Since 2013, the government has been providing a vegetarian menu once a week at its cafeteria. Starting in April this year, the government has also been offering a meat substitute once a month. The cafeteria also installed an AI food scanner where diners return their dishes to check how much food waste they have created. The city government also plans to offer vegetarian menus for its employees more often by increasing them to six to eight times a month depending on how the government employees respond to the plan.

Yoo Yeon-sik, the chief of the Climate and Environmental Headquarters, said the city government will come up with more diverse ways for Seoul residents to protect the Earth and the environment. He also reminded that vegan and zero-waste lifestyles are two ways of reducing one's carbon footprint on a daily basis.

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