Destinations known | How to travel as a vegan in Asia - the best and worst cities for those eschewing animal products
- Destinations such as Singapore, Taipei and Sri Lanka frequently top vegan-friendly lists
- Japan, one of the least-friendly countries for vegetarians and vegans, is also hoping to benefit from the growing trend by offering more plant-based options
Visiting gourmands in search of gratification are spoiled for choice in Asia. From dim sum in Hong Kong and pho in Vietnam to sashimi in Japan or tom yum goong in Thailand, there is no shortage of epicurean experiences to write postcards home about. But what about vegan and vegetarian visitors? Can a region best known for its meat-based offerings cater to those living on a purely plant-based diet?
Increasingly, yes.
According to online statistics portal Statista, 9 per cent of the Asia-Pacific population identified as vegan in 2016, abstaining from consuming food, wearing clothes and using products that are derived from animals. This makes it the region with the largest share of plant-based consumers globally, perhaps influenced by Dharmic religions’ vegetarian practices and Buddhist cuisine, although these do not dictate veganism.
However, it is certainly not limited to faith-based food choices. China, a nation known for Peking duck and pork dumplings, and where an expanding middle class has led to a significant increase in meat consumption, is expected to have been the fastest growing market for vegan-labelled food products between 2015 and 2020, with a growth rate of 17.2 per cent, according to Statista.
According to Hong Kong-based branding and marketing agency CatchOn’s annual Future of Food report, the rise in a plant-based approach to consumption can be credited to “affluent millennials”. “Acutely aware of food ethics, sustainability issues and plant-based alternatives, the purchasing power of this demographic is changing the way food is produced and putting pressure on brands to create vegan products,” the report notes.