Sustainable Tourism - Irene Millar

IRENE MILLAR DISCUSSES HOW PERSONAL CHOICES IN WHAT YOU EAT CAN HAVE AN ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT AND MAKE A CHANGE FOR THE BETTER.

During my time in Singapore I witnessed the cultural change of shark’s fin on menus go from being the norm, to becoming unacceptable to eight out of ten Singaporeans. Having recently moved to Penang, I was dismayed to see shark’s fin on the menus of local restaurants.

IT COMES AT A COST

Shark’s fin soup is considered a delicacy in some Asian cultures. However, providing this ‘delicacy’ comes at the cost of the cruelty and death to around 70 million sharks a year by shark finning.

The oceans are facing many challenges and removing one of the top predators in this fragile eco-system at an unsustainable rate has serious consequences for both the ocean and all who depend on it.

One of my joys when traveling is to sample different cuisines. So, when faced with shark’s fin, it made me consider, as a traveller, what is an appropriate response when faced with menu items you know to be unsustainable?

SEND A MESSAGE

Grand Hyatt Singapore was among the first hotels to remove shark’s fin from its menu in 2012, so I posed this question to Lucas Glanville, Grand Hyatt’s Culinary Director for SE Asia. Lucas’s advice was very simple, “Don’t buy the product and don’t support a business you are not comfortable with.” He firmly believes that as consumers we can send a strong message to suppliers about what we do and don’t want to eat.

Shark finning, together with industrial fishing and farming, continue to boom as companies look for ways to increase output whilst lowering costs. This has shifted the focus to profit and away from animal welfare and nutrition. As consumers, most of us are far removed from where our food comes from. I vividly remember my Mum sending us to a neighbour to buy his home-grown tomatoes. As a child, it was an adventure to see tomatoes growing on the vines, being plucked and then put into a paper bag for us to take home. They were the best tomatoes I have ever tasted, and four decades later I still remember the smell and sheer delight of biting into them. Happily, we are beginning to see consumers move away from big farming and switch to more ethical options.

COSTS OF SUSTAINABILITY

If a product is substantially cheaper than its competitors, it may be as a result of cutting corners. Fishing sustainably costs more than illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. Fish that is from an IUU source may engage in human rights abuses and generate a high percentage of by-catch. Contrast this to a small family owned fishing boat, where everything caught will be brought on board and put to good use.

Lucas states that eating sustainably starts with becoming aware of issues relating to the food industry and the damage that your choices can create. This sentiment is echoed in a WWF report which states that a rise in awareness may be the reason for the decline in Singaporeans eating sharks’ fin.

THE CHALLENGES OF MAKING GOOD CHOICES

Making good sustainable choices is not easy as we are bombarded by advertising and social media, often with conflicting views. Social media can be used as a means of raising awareness, whether this is to highlight animal welfare issues, or unethical business practices. If we as consumers, continue to use unethical business, then the problem will persist. Our buying decisions can, and do, impact on what is being marketed and sold to us. If we all stop ordering unethical, unsustainable produce, the suppliers will stop producing it. Singapore’s change in attitude towards shark’s fin is a valuable example of this.

Change in eating habits is happening. Veganism has been around for thousands of years and the Vegan Society was established 75

years ago. However, veganism has exploded in recent years into a global phenomenon. Starbucks has introduced oat milk into some stores in the USA, and if successful, it is likely to become more widely available.

PLANT BASED

A vegan meal is one that is plant based and does not contain meat or any animal derived products such as diary or egg. Grand Hyatt Singapore was the first hotel to offer vegan burgers in SE Asia. They sold 1,000 vegan burgers on launch day and it continues to outsell its meat counterpart.

More vegan products are becoming available to meet the growing demand of consumers choosing plant-based alternatives to meat products. These people do so mainly for ethical, environmental, sustainability or health reasons. There are conflicting reports about how sustainable a vegan diet really is, however, this has more to do with where food is grown before being transported to supermarkets. On the positive side, it seems to be accepted thinking that a plant-based diet requires only a third of the land that is needed to grow the grain required to support a diet that includes meat and dairy. As more people choose to eat less meat and dairy, hopefully we will see a decline in rainforest destruction due to land clearing for crops and cattle.

EAT YOUR VEGGIES

Common-sense tells us that fruit and vegetables are good for us, and this has motivated a lot of people to try vegan meals. Not necessarily to become 100% vegan, but to reduce their meat and dairy consumption. I haven’t eaten red meat for over 30 years, however chicken rice in Singapore seduced me, so chicken is a regular meal for me along with fish.

I have been giving eating vegan a trial this week (while my husband is away!). It’s been easier and tastier than I expected. I still recall when I was vegetarian in the early 1980’s, before it became fashionable, going on holiday in Spain. The only option available on the menu was an omelette, which I ate every night for two weeks. Thankfully, times have changed. Every menu in the Grand Hyatt Singapore contains a vegan option and I am looking forward to testing the burger on my next visit to Singapore.

WHAT’S SUSTAINABLE?

How do you know what food item is and isn’t sustainable? That’s a complicated issue. When deciding on dinner, consider this. Can your server tell you where the food has been sourced from? This is a great indication if staff really know the products they sell. Does the restaurant include any sustainably certified or organically grown produce? Look for MSC or ASC for fish, USDA Organic, Hormone and Antibiotic free and Fair Trade products.

Support companies with an independent accreditation, which means they have been measured for their impact on the environment. Does the menu include locally sourced produce? Flying food from thousands of miles away creates lots of carbon emissions and is not sustainable, even if its vegan and organic! How does the restaurant minimise food wastage and how does it reuse its food waste? Food waste is a huge issue and was the subject of a previous article.

EXPAND YOUR AWARENESS

There are many options available when traveling that empower you to savour local tastes and cuisines without worrying about your choices. Dine at a good quality hotel where they can demonstrate a procurement process that sources from ethical suppliers, get recommendations from experts you trust, use websites such as Happycow or Apps such as Vegman if you want to find vegan or vegetarian options whilst on your travels. If you want to eat more sustainably, then expand your awareness on the current issues around food production and use discernment when making your buying choices.

Lucas is very optimistic about the future, he believes social media is playing a vital part in raising awareness and educating consumers so that we can make more conscious choices and create positive change. “People are more aware of issues now. Making small incremental changes make a difference. We have to reboot our mind-set and go back to fundamentals. Support companies that are doing the right things. Understand what you consume, where it comes from and how it is produced.”

CHANGE IS HAPPENING

Grand Hyatt Singapore is demonstrating that change is possible, and others are following. Consciously choosing more sustainable options does create change. The choice is yours, choose with your conscience, and as my Dad used to say, “Everything in moderation.”

If you are travelling to Malaysia and spot shark’s fin on a menu, you can report it to WWF who are in the midst of a campaign to raise awareness of this issue.