S8. E10: David Yeung: Omni Presence
“The planet is sustaining way more than just eight billion human beings because we are consuming second-hand protein. We could have just directly, you know, eat plant-based protein. And again, if there's still any argument that, oh, we're not going to get enough strength, get enough nutrition, I mean, come on. Where do animals get their protein to start with? Right. I mean, come on. I mean, they eat plants,” - David Yeung
Credit: Green Monday
David is the co-founder and CEO of Green Monday, a movement to educate and encourage the public to give up meat one day a week. They just celebrated their ten-year anniversary, and what they've accomplished in one decade is unbelievable. 40 percent of Hong Kong participates in Green Monday, for real.
David is also the CEO of OmniFoods, a food innovation company that makes plant-based pork and plant-based seafood. They launched in 2018 and have already taken Asia and many other parts of the world by storm. There is a reason for that – Omni products are probably the best tasting plant-based pork and seafood on the planet. They’ve just entered the US market. You can find OmniFoods in the US here.
Please listen and share.
In gratitude,
Elizabeth Novogratz
Learn More About Green Monday
learn more about omniFoods
Transcript:
David: [00:00:15] The planet is sustaining way more than just 8 billion human beings because we are consuming second hand protein. We could have just directly, you know, eat plant based protein and again, if there's still any argument that, oh, we're not going to get enough strength, get enough nutrition, I mean, come on. Where do animals get their protein to start with? Right? I mean, come on. They eat plants.
Elizabeth: [00:00:44] Hi. I'm Elizabeth Novogratz. This is Species Unite. We have a favor to ask. If you like today's episode and you have a spare minute, could you please rate and review Species Unite on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts? It really helps people to find the show. This conversation is with David Yeung. David is the co-founder and CEO of Green Monday Group. Green Monday is a movement to educate and encourage the public to give up meat one day a week. They just celebrated their ten year anniversary, and what they've accomplished in one decade is unbelievable. David is also the CEO of OmniFoods. OmniFoods is a food innovation company that makes plant based pork, omni pork and plant based seafood. They have already taken Asia and many other parts of the world by storm and have just come to the US. Hi, David. I want to say congratulations for two reasons. One, ten years of Green Monday and two OmniFoods coming to the USA. Two big things.
David: [00:02:14] I still feel so surreal about this. I mean, Green Monday started back in 2012 and at that time it was such a humble and just kind of just a very modest beginning of trying to spread the movement of one day meatless a week. Then, of course, what was a one year, two year campaign became truly a movement that took off. Then, of course, OmniFood is now expanding globally, particularly in North America.
Elizabeth: [00:02:46] So first, let's talk about Green Monday. So it started in Hong Kong.
David: [00:02:48] Yes.
Elizabeth: [00:02:57] One of the things that is absolutely just astonishing to me is that it's only been ten years, even though ten years is a long time. It's also a very short time when it comes to people changing. I read that 40% of Hong Kong practices some sort of green Monday, whether they're vegetarian, vegan one day a week. But 40% are committed to this.
David: [00:03:13] Right.
Elizabeth: [00:03:14] Of an entire city.
David: [00:03:15] It is mind blowing. I still look at those numbers or simply people I talk to, I mean, you know, left and right, friends of friends, people who just drop me messages on social media and, you know, we could see that change. Now, again, me coming from 22 years of being plant-based, it was so difficult to find food ten, 15, 20 years ago. But now green options, plant based options are available in almost every major fast food chain, every major restaurant, and certainly in hotels or Michelin star restaurants. It went from uncommon and unknown to become mainstream. It is both the transformation of supply and demand. So indeed, I can honestly say that Hong Kong has been transformed in terms of awareness and then availability of plant based options.
Elizabeth: [00:04:15] Absolutely. But how did you do this? Like somebody who, you know, also has a mission to really encourage the world to shift from animals in their diets and everything else. Like, how did you do this? Talk about the very beginning and what happened in ten years, because those numbers are incredible.
David: [00:04:34] Well, first of all, I desperately want to duplicate that in every single market or region that we can get into because, you know, one seventh I mean, what is Meatless Monday, meat free Monday, green Monday, Friday, Sunday lunch and dinner. It doesn't matter. If the world can reduce meat and dairy consumption by one seventh, you know, 14, 15%, number one, we can save a lot of animals and two, of course, huge climate, environmental positive impact. But how did we do it? I have to admit, first of all, that we start from Hong Kong, which is a city and it's a very dense city. So messages and movements, if anyone can find a way to like start a movement, it can spread relatively quickly because it's so dense. That's number one. Number two is we never went about trying to, I guess part of it is people in Asia, but part of it is just human nature is like most people may not prefer to be lectured, you know, if there's something that's too serious, you know, even if those issues are clearly important, people tend to like want to just not pay attention because it's the inconvenient truth, right? So Green Monday, we are very humble to say that, you know, we make the movement very cool, fashionable, led by a lot of influencers, celebrities, movie stars, etc. All we ask is simple, right? Hey, go plant based one day and you can do it Individually, you can do it as a firm, as a school, etc. So it's simple. It is something that we make very trendy. Then finally, because we're talking about food, ultimately it's about how to create or provide delicious, attractive options to people. So all together, that's green Monday. Of course, on Green Monday, we have different kinds of subsidiaries. The goal on one hand is to explain to people why they need to change and then on the other hand is the, you know, the options. So the how and that's where Omni Foods and many of the brands that we work with start to come in.
Elizabeth: [00:06:50] How long had you been doing Green Monday when you started Omni Foods?
David: [00:06:54] Green Monday started in 2012. So we are authentic movement creators. The first three years we were doing nothing but just a movement. So from 2012 to 2015, I was basically like a missionary, you know, everywhere I went or still everywhere I go, I mean, it's hey, can you just go green one day a week, you know, start from Monday or start from whichever day you choose. Then Omni, we started doing some of the early stage work in 2016, 17 and then the debut of Omni Foods, particularly what we start with is the pork alternative because Asian markets and countries, you know, pork is the most consumed animal protein by far. Chicken and beef are distant second and third. In fact, beef was never really a big thing in Asia until like recent decades, maybe because of Western influence. So Omni Pork debuted in 2018.
Elizabeth: [00:07:51] Where did you debut?
David: [00:07:53] Well, first in Hong Kong and then well, actually, not that slowly, I mean, because we have from 2018 to now it is still only four years. But we're very proud to say that Omni products are now in about 20 markets around the world, across Asia Pacific, from Japan, Korea down to Australia, the whole APAC and then North America and UK. So yeah, we're in about 20 markets right now.
Elizabeth: [00:08:20] You’re everywhere.
David: [00:08:21] Our goal and well, again, for the sake of the movement and for the sake of impact, we hope to be omnipresent.
Elizabeth: [00:08:29] That's awesome. So when you debuted in Hong Kong, because there's been throughout Asia, I lived in Hong Kong many years ago, but there's always been like a pre the kind of plant based revolution and pre it being more normal for people to maybe be vegan or vegetarian. Throughout Asia there's always been like a mock meat, like that has been an option since before it felt like there was much plant based meat here. Right?
David: [00:08:58] Well, as a plant based person for 20 something years, I think all those mock meats are, you know, kind of the last generation or first generation or whatever you call it. I appreciate them because I don't even know how I would survive if those products were not available. However, I think this, whether you call it New Age or the kind of the latest modern revolution of plant based food, is with investments, with technology, with expertise putting into this field the products and the food innovation, of course, is much more impressive to the point that you can give it to a michelin star chef or a food critic who are used to just good food in general, whatever. They are foodies, they are food critics, they are star chefs. But now these new age products that are good can indeed impress them, even if we take away any of the arguments about animal, you know, environment, health, all of that. Just purely on taste. Previously with the last generation, maybe if I use that term. Those products were mostly catering to, again, vegans and vegetarians.
Elizabeth: [00:10:24] Meat eaters wouldn't touch them.
David: [00:10:27] Yeah, basically. Forget about even impressing them, just not touching.
Elizabeth: [00:10:32] And they weren't very good. I'm sorry. I mean, they were great because they existed. Yeah. But if you compare them to now, they weren't.
David: [00:10:39] Yeah, exactly. Right.
Elizabeth: [00:10:40] So when Omni pork debuted, what was it like?
David: [00:10:43] Of course, you know, at the beginning, just like anything, right? I mean, people were still clearly skeptical, like, what is this? What new pork? You know, what the heck? You know, it's like, why is this guy, of all the things that he should be doing, like creating a mock or like a plant based pork? What is that? So as expected, you know, we were greeted by a huge, broad skepticism and people who had no clue. But then as we start to showcase the products in dumplings, pan fry, steam patties, meat balls, you name them. After a while, people like, hey, this is pretty good, you know, it tastes pretty good and if you don't proactively bring it up, they won't even know. Then when you bring it up and you say, hey, by the way, this is like 80%, 60% lower in calories, like 80% lower in fat and no cholesterol. But at the same time, still good protein and good calcium and iron. People were particularly like the people who are more health conscious, they're like, wow, this is pretty good, I can still get my protein, but they don't have to be as guilty or they don't have to worry about whether it's weights or other issues. So it was clearly a challenge when you break into a market with something so new. Even today, I mean, we're still dealing with skepticism and pushback every single day. It's not like now it’d not like people just open arms and embrace you, right. But that was 2018. Then one of the turning points, I must say, was two years after that, so 2020, when we launched Luncheon Meat, you know, or the vegan spam, some people would refer to that. A lot of places in the world, Hawaii obviously being the obvious one. But Korea, Philippines, Hong Kong, Singapore, part of it is a little bit of nostalgia that growing up we were eating a lot of luncheon meat, like with noodles or just in a sandwich. So it's a flavor or taste that we grew up getting super familiar with. But most people also know that it's not like it's not the healthiest. Most people know and they feel very guilty about it. So when our plant based luncheon meat launch called the Omni pork luncheon, I think that was one of those milestone moments when people say, oh, I mean, regardless of whether this is called vegan, not vegan, it's kind of guilty, good food, right? So we break the barrier that it used to be that, you know, like really good craveable food are usually not too healthy and usually very healthy food are just not worth craving for, a salad or something very bland.
Elizabeth: [00:13:49] I know you say it took a while, but you launched in 2018. You launched the luncheon meat in 2020. But now it's in McDonald's. I mean, like it blew up pretty quickly.
David: [00:14:00] Looking back, I mean, within four years, actually, we have done a lot. We have done, especially given this COVID, you know, and all the massive just obstacles that we are still dealing with right now is not like we're out of it. But so from that standpoint, you know, Omni has been just our penetration and our global expansion has been quite impressive, I must say, even from a kind of just a factual, objective standpoint. But given what we do, of course, we want to accelerate the movement as fast as we can. So we always just feel that there's so much room to grow and we just need to do more. But indeed, in a few years, Omni has gotten into a lot of restaurants and certainly supermarkets and retail.
Elizabeth: [00:15:00] Right and you're in Starbucks.
David: [00:15:01] Yes. So in terms of chains, particularly in Asia first. Starbucks, IKEA, McDonald's and many of the local chains, which are like household names, may not be known to American audiences, but these are the chains that are equally popular from noodle chain to fast food to Michelin star. Omni is in a lot of places. So from that standpoint, most recently, our omni dumplings have been adopted by some of the big chains. Ikea in mainland China. Start selling our Omni dumplings right now.
Elizabeth: [00:15:39] Apparently everybody loves the dumplings.
David: [00:15:41] Dumplings are again comfort food number one. So I mean, these are things that I think for a lot of families, I mean, regardless, again, regardless of vegan or not, dumplings are something that people can eat, you know, five days out of a week, right? Not dumplings alone, but just dumplings with something else, whether it's noodles or, you know, deep fry, pan fry, water boiled dumplings.
Elizabeth: [00:16:05] I don't know if interesting is not really the word, but the fact that you came in on the scene and started really just expanding and blowing up as African swine fever started just destroying all the pigs in China and all over the world.
David: [00:16:21] Well, I mean, it was definitely a coincidence from a timing standpoint.
Elizabeth: [00:16:24] Yeah obviously.
David: [00:16:25] We launched Omni Pork in 2018 and 2018 and 19 was when ASF, African swine fever, truly became serious. I mean sometimes my friends would joke about how I picked that year to launch Omni?
Elizabeth: [00:16:33] It's kind of crazy.
David: [00:16:37] They thought I had like a crystal ball or something, you know.
Elizabeth: [00:16:48] Because you're really the first plant based pork, really anywhere that's actually really good. That people are really excited about, let me say.
David: [00:16:58] I mean, we just look at it and say, hey, we have to develop a whole range of pork products or Pork alternative products. So naturally, that's what we do. I mean, and that's what we do quite well. Now to coincide with ASF from a timing or even from a PR standpoint is unexpected. But the momentum that we created because of that, because at that point there was clearly a shortage of pork and even though at that time we were just beginning. So it's not like we can substitute, you know, pork. I wish I had the production capacity today back in 2018, but we were just beginning. So, I mean, it wasn't like we were filling the gap of like, you know, 300 million pigs or something like that. But at least it got on people's radar that, oh, they start to understand the risk. That comes with animal factory farming. That's when you are raising hundreds of millions of these farm animals. They could get wiped out just from one disease and these diseases are not going to go away.
Elizabeth: [00:18:15] I mean, we've had so many zoonotic diseases through the years and COVID being like one of the most catastrophic in terms of what it's done to the world. But, you know, African swine fever. How many avian flus have we seen? It's zoonotic disease after zoonotic disease. We know that they're all directly connected to food and the food system. Covid, I thought especially and probably African swine fever as well. But COVID really opened up the food system for the world to see just how precarious it is, how fragile it is. But do you think, kind of like what we were talking about before we started recording about climate and disasters, do you think people really think that they see it, they're aware of it, but do you think it sticks with them enough to change?
David: [00:19:04] Well, I'm sad and encouraged at the same time. I'm encouraged because on one hand, there are more people who are connecting the dots and they are starting to make real behavior shifts. So by all means, we are seeing people globally, particularly young people who are proactively taking action and they are also spreading the word. So from that standpoint, I'm encouraged. But on the other hand, I'm also extremely worried because whatever change that is happening is just way too slow and way too small. If you look at climate, I mean, both the climate risk and the food insecurity risk, food insecurity with all these zoonotic diseases or just viruses in general. Our food system is ridiculously fragile. So, first of all, feeding 8 billion people and very soon, nine, 10 billion. Especially this year with so many of the issues coming to the service and food prices going off the roof. I hope people really understand that, you know, food production in general is not sustainable and to rely on a very animal heavy or dependent food system. It is already collapsing in front of our own eyes. Even if we take away the sustainability and climate change angle, just can we produce food this way? Protein this way, to feed a billion people? The answer is absolutely not. I mean, it is collapsing in front of our own eyes. So that's number one. And number two, of course, go back to the climate issue. So many companies and so many people are now saying, oh, we need to pledge net zero, carbon neutral and things like that. I always look at the annual reports of those companies or I often read their interviews. I'm like, okay, you are saying, Hey, we pledge to net zero by 2025, 2030, but what action are you taking? Can you give us more concrete action because we don't need more slogans or just empty promises? Like, Oh, save the planet, you know, we need action. I mean, the world is not going to recover or the world is not going to suddenly get better because you say, oh, we want to be healthier, right? I mean, if you want to be healthier, you have to exercise, you've got to eat better and just rest and everything. It's a whole lifestyle shift. You cannot just say, I want to become healthier.
Elizabeth: [00:21:46] Or I pledge to.
David: [00:21:47] I pledge to, yes. So it's better than nothing, but at the same time it's also very empty. So look at what's happening in Europe with the heat wave, actually, it's not just Europe. Then look at the extreme like droughts, the worst droughts in over 1000 years in California right now. I mean, year after year, season after season, we are hearing or watching all these wildfires, flooding, drought, heat.
Elizabeth: [00:22:14] Hurricanes.
David: [00:22:15] Hurricanes. We all need to wake up and understand. I mean, when people say, oh, we got to do something to save our next generation, I always tell them, you're not just saving the next generation. We are saving us, we're saving us.
Elizabeth: [00:22:28] It's happening now. We're in it.
David: [00:22:30] We are in trouble. We're in deep trouble already. I remember even as recently as four years ago, and I happened to spend a few weeks in the summer in the UK and at that time that was the record breaking heat which was like 37 degrees Celsius, which I think is about 95 to 98 Fahrenheit.
Elizabeth: [00:22:52] What is it today?
David: [00:22:53] Today is the new record, which is 104 degrees or something like that. Yeah. Then in terms of Celsius it is 40 points something like 40 to 41 degrees in the UK and everything is ground to a halt because things simply don't function in that environment anymore. Not to mention a lot of people either will be severely ill or may even die because of this. So, it is bad. Even in a matter of three, four, five years, you can see that things are deteriorating at a rapid rate. This kind of heat is not just happening in the UK. China at the same time from Shanghai all the way to the whole Yangzi River Delta, like the whole from west to east, the weather or the temperature is about the same as what is happening in the UK right now. So Japan again I think summer after summer they are also seeing something like this. So record breaking everything is happening and we are running out of time.
Elizabeth: [00:23:58] Everyone, especially everyone in the UK today knows this is directly connected to what we've done to the planet, but it's also very directly connected to our food system. Yet no one is, I mean, except for people who are in it like you, very few people are really, really talking about how we have got to change the way we eat in a serious, meaningful way. So therefore very few people are really thinking about the way they eat in a meaningful way.
David: [00:24:28] When we talk about obviously fossil fuel being a clear source of carbon emission and then transportation, of course, is another obvious one. But it should be common sense by now that another major source of greenhouse gas is our food system, particularly our meat and dairy. In terms of methane, in terms of CO2, food, the entire value chain, I mean is a huge source of it and animal agriculture is leading that. So, I just don't know. I mean, why is this not even more upfront. This should be like right in front, which is heat. Extreme heat. Extreme drought is related to what we eat. By the way, if we don't change this, I mean, these animals are, you know, they are drinking the water that we are running out of right now. They are eating the animal feed of food that we are also running out of. So we are not just feeding a billion human beings. We're feeding 2 to 3 billion pigs and cows and like 20 billion chickens. The planet is sustaining way more than just a billion human beings because we are consuming second hand protein. We could have just directly, you know, eat plant based protein. Again, if there's still any argument that, oh, we're not going to get enough strength, get enough nutrition, I mean, come on. I mean, just do a little bit of study research, read a little bit more. I mean, where do animals get their protein to start with? Right? I mean, come on. They eat plants. So I mean, whenever people are like, oh, I mean, I don't get strength if they only eat plants, I'm like, okay, I mean, look at the cow. I mean, pretty strong, right? Look what they eat, right? They don't eat meat. You know, if you talk about speed, look at the horse. Right? What do they eat? So the truth is, you know, second hand proteins go through the animal system before humans consume them. There's no way this is sustainable.
Elizabeth: [00:26:41] I think I'm going to start using that term because sometimes there are certain meat eaters I'll be with and they'll say, Oh, no, I need some protein as a way of politely telling me they're going to order steak or something, which I mean order whatever you want. But that's the term they'll use, but I'm going to start calling it second hand protein. I like that.
David: [00:26:58] You can get I mean, clearly from whether it is legumes, beans, nuts, you know, and so many nutritious vegetables and fruits. Again, now again, going back to, kind of the Green Monday philosophy is that indeed not every person will suddenly become a vegan tomorrow. Of course, we would love to see that. But realistically, that's not going to happen overnight for most people. But starting with a gradual change and sustaining that, make that a routine, just like exercise like you cannot, not everyone, most people will not become professional athletes, but we should all exercise. I don't care if you are talking about running, swimming or playing tennis, whichever sport. But we need to exercise, even if you are not at all attempting to be a full time athlete or whatever. So we should be eating green on a routine basis.
Elizabeth: [00:27:59] I want to go back really quick to your launch of Omni Park. Did you go from Hong Kong to mainland China or were there other places before that?
David: [00:28:06] We look at obviously first from the Asian market standpoint and then global, there are markets that are relatively quicker in adoption. So Singapore definitely is one of them because after all, population wise, it's a smaller country and Singapore is also clearly very international. So it’s more receptive to global trends and movements. So Singapore was one of the earliest places. Taiwan was another market that a lot of people in Taiwan already are very open and receptive to vegetarianism anyway, partly because of religion and partly just as maybe the local food culture. Then mainland China, of course, is a 1.4 billion country. Which from an opportunity standpoint is extremely obviously enormous, but at the same time, from a challenge standpoint is also as enormous, if not even greater.
Elizabeth: [00:29:09] How so?
David: [00:29:10] Because I think that applies to not just mainland China, but to many of the countries that now people are becoming much more affluent. I guess in the history of just human evolution maybe that meat or seafood is associated with status. So it's more than just what I want to eat or what tastes good. But it's also, oh, if you eat that, then you must be well, at least well-off. I mean, may not need to be rich, but at least more well off. On the other hand, if you're just eating like potatoes, then it feels like maybe that's relatively more humble. So I think one of the cultural barriers now is, as people in mainland China and in a lot of places, they have more resources, they are becoming more well off. They want to enjoy themselves. They want to enjoy life. They want to enjoy food, which you cannot blame them obviously.
Elizabeth: [00:30:16] This is almost every country that didn't have money and now does. And it happened, probably the history of the world has worked this way.
David: [00:30:23] Pretty much.
Elizabeth: [00:30:23] Oh, now we have money, let's go get some steak. Right, so it's a human thing. It's like ingrained into money means we eat like this now.
David: [00:30:33] One of the most mind boggling foods, particularly in Chinese or even Hong Kong culture, is shark fin.
Elizabeth: [00:30:41] Yeah.
David: [00:30:42] Like, first of all, who came up with that? Why do we cut off the fins of sharks? Actually, if you really even think about that it is like why and who came up with that. But I don't know, hundreds of years ago, maybe whoever, whether it was an emperor or someone super rich, just said, hey, we want to eat something very exotic. If you can catch that right, cut that off. So someone came up with it and it stuck. It has become a symbol of wealth. Then at banquets, you know, whether it's a wedding banquet or just banquets in general, it would be the symbol of just wealth. Oh, that family is doing well because they can offer people shark fin soup, but shark fin actually tastes like nothing. That's no taste in itself. Whatever people say is, Oh, that's yummy is actually the soup, which without the shark fin would taste as good anyway. But because shark fins have become widely adopted right now, we are killing 90% or 90 plus percent of the sharks which are becoming extinct and we are ruining the entire marine ecosystem because of that. I mean, people always say, oh, you know, sharks are so scary. Honestly, the number of human beings that are attacked by sharks versus sharks that are being killed by human beings is not even close.
Elizabeth: [00:32:10] It's like ten or 12 humans are killed a year by sharks.
David: [00:32:12] Yeah versus hundreds or even millions of sharks. I don't even know.
Elizabeth: [00:32:16] I think it's hundreds of millions, but yeah.
David: [00:32:18] Something like that. So, it's a status thing, it’s a symbolic symbol thing. So now we must make green living green eating the new symbol basically. It’s about reframing the mind. So two examples that I like to borrow and use as reference, one would be coffee. So in China for 5000 years it wasn't like coffee did not exist. But for 5000 years Chinese people have been drinking tea and coffee doesn't taste good. It's not the China thing. But then in the last 22 years, you know, from Starbucks and then of course, all the other brands, every shopping mall has like 8 to 10 cafes right now. Younger generations of people are like there isn't one day that goes by without them drinking coffee, you know. Is it because coffee tastes different today? I don't think so. I mean, but it's a lifestyle thing, right? It's like, oh, holding that cup, you know, drinking coffee in the morning is like, I must get coffee in the morning. It's like, no, you don't. It's not a must. We survived, you know, for thousands of years without coffee. So one example is coffee. The other I like to also borrow as reference is yoga. So again, yoga is not new.
Elizabeth: [00:33:46] No.
David: [00:33:47] I mean, come on, yoga has been around for, again, thousands of years. If you ask, like the yogis right from India, if you tell them yoga is now a trend, they're like, what? You know, I've been practicing yoga for that entire life. Right? But now, of course, I don't have to explain, you know, yoga pants, yoga studios.
Elizabeth: [00:34:09] Right.
David: [00:34:12] So our goal, and this is our collective goal not just my company or myself, but I think is how to make this new eating fashionable, trendy, and aspirational. On top of obviously being sustainable, healthy and humane.
Elizabeth: [00:34:29] It feels like not all over the west, but it feels like in certain parts, right? Like big cities, New York, L.A., London, London is amazing. Oh, my God. But it's becoming more and more not just trendy, but people are fully committing, in a lot of cases. But it's still big in betweens.
David: [00:34:50] There's still a lot of work to be done.
Elizabeth: [00:34:52] Yeah. An enormous amount. Then for it to catch on in places that are really just in the past few decades bringing meat in, to say, no, no, that doesn't mean anything anymore. Now you're supposed to eat vegan, right? It's complicated and it's confusing right. People are thinking this means status and then to come in and be like, no, not really not anymore.
David: [00:35:18] Cultures are hard to change. Perceptions are hard to change. I mean, it takes years to build a culture or a trend and it also takes years or even longer to undo it, you know? So this is going to be, I think, lifelong work for all of us. You know, and it will take time and that's why the new generation of consumers, young people in particular, play such a big role. Relatively speaking, you know, it's not like they have been accumulating a certain perception or habits for decades already. So it takes less time to undo, or maybe there's nothing to undo. They can just start from this and this becomes the norm. So I hear so many examples of parents who are influenced by their teenage sons and daughters and they say, Oh, because my daughter, my son has chosen to be a flexitarian or even a vegan. That's the reason they come to our shop or that's the reason why they buy a pack of Omni and cook at home. So every time when I hear stories like that, I'm like, yes, you know, it's like the younger generation is actually influencing the more mature generation. That's how it is going to work, people influencing people.
Elizabeth: [00:36:46] They're much more aware to younger generations of connecting the dots between planet, animal suffering, health, just as a generation or as they see it, they've watched it and they grew up looking at it on social media. So they get it a little better.
David: [00:37:04] And frankly, they are the ones the young people are the ones that will have to deal with the severely deteriorating planet. I mean whatever climate disasters and extreme weather that we are seeing right now, it will sadly, unless we dramatically change behavior again, otherwise it will only get worse. So the younger generation will be dealing with a much worse planet for decades to come, for the rest of their lives. So it also means that they are extra motivated to speak up and to take action.
Elizabeth: [00:37:48] Yeah, that's true. When did you go from just pork to bringing in seafood?
David: [00:37:53] First of all, I always think in terms of filling in the blanks. If there are companies that are doing beef, let's say, and they are doing a good job then relatively, I mean, there are so many other things that have not been done. So if we're looking at the whole protein and food range and categories globally, there are just so many things that have not been done. So pork, although we still have many more products to come, but other than the pork series or the category than the next we look at is seafood. 73% of seafood consumption happens in Asia, 73%.
Elizabeth: [00:38:39] I had no idea. Wow.
David: [00:38:42] Here, for example, of course, people eat fish and people eat a lot of shrimp, but in many Asian families, like steamed fish, just whatever kind of cooking method is quite a normal, regular diet for people to just say, Oh, let's steam fish for part of their meal for lunch or dinner. So 73% of seafood consumption is in Asia. When we look at any of the ocean numbers they are as depressing, if not more depressing, than the land animal situation. So, number one, again, we talk about sharks just now, there are a lot of studies that show maybe in 15, 20 years, I mean, because of overfishing like bottom trawling, which they just use a humongous net to take everything out of the ocean. The way that industrial fishing nowadays works is that oceans are so depleted and devastated that maybe in 15, 20 years we will be close to running out of fish and lives in oceans, not to mention the warmer weather. So that's number one. We will be running out of seafood really. And number two, because these oceans are running out of lives, oceans become, quote unquote, dead oceans. That means the ocean loses its ability to offset greenhouse gas and to release oxygen. So a lot of people do not realize that when we talk about the lung of the world, we often like to say the Amazon is the lung of the world. A couple of years ago, when Amazon had the wildfires it was like, oh, wow, this is a catastrophe happening in front of us. But actually the bigger lung of the world is actually the ocean with its capability to offset significant amounts of CO2 or greenhouse gas in general and release oxygen. So reducing seafood consumption is no less important than reducing beef consumption, let's say. We often look at beef and say, Oh, beef is the almost symbol when it comes to methane, right? But seafood, ocean depletion are the same problem. So, yes, that's how Omni fish, Omni fish filet, Omni fish burger, crab cake, tuna, that's how we come about. So that whole seafood range is now also out and in the market and people are extremely blown away by the whole Omni seafood range.
Elizabeth: [00:41:26] Well, because there haven't been a lot of options in the plant based seafood world to begin with. Then you come in with like these incredible ones that seriously, people are blown away.
David: [00:41:37] We are very delighted. I mean, like in some of the recent trade shows, let's say, I mean, people came to our booth. I mean, they can taste the Omni Pork. Yowza. They can taste the luncheon meats. They can taste a fish filet, they can taste crab crab cakes. They're like, whoa, you know, these are things that they haven't tried before. This category or this genre of plant based alternative just either doesn't exist or the options are just very, very few. So from that standpoint, I think indeed we're trying to fill in the gaps and the whitespace that globally give people more options. Then of course, again, coming from Asia, these are the types of protein that people eat a lot.
Elizabeth: [00:42:21] Right and I mean, there's demand. So do you see, are people now, especially with you guys in the world, are people shifting easier? Is demand rising?
David: [00:42:34] I mean, obviously, we collectively, as you know, whether it's an industry or kind of the movement that we are all part of, it's very encouraging to see that from both individuals and also business the adoption is obviously growing. We need it to grow faster in order to counter all the things that we just discussed. But ironically, I think this year, one of the unexpected results of all the situations happening globally is that there is clearly a food crisis going on. I mean, this year most people realize, or we can all feel it, that food prices are going off the roof and there is a lot of shortage right now. Certain countries are not exporting certain types of foods. So India, for example, stops exporting sugar and wheat, I think, and then Malaysia for a few months, stops exporting their poultry, their chicken, because they just said domestic demand is already taking up most of that production. They have no food or they cannot afford to export to other countries. So some of this food protectionism is starting to happen this year, which honestly, in recent years or decades, hasn't been the case. But with all the chaos that's happening in the world right now, food scarcity, insecurity, protectionism are happening again. That drives the price to go way up. So animal feed, seafood feed, or even in the case of seafood, even the gas or the oil required to take a ship out on a fishing mission. I mean, that is becoming way more expensive now. So let's say in countries like the UK, fish and chips is the most common food. But from what it used to be, let's say five or six pounds per order, many of them are now up to nine, ten, even £12. So 50, 70, 80 or even 100% more expensive than maybe as recent as one or two years ago and because of that, a lot of these fish and chips restaurants may not be able to survive because people are not going to pay that much for that. So in our case, this is not just the UK, this is general, maybe with plant based protein becomes another additional solution to this. That's why we exist as the shortage happens, we are filling in the supply. Again, even if those people may not be concerned about the environment, animals, any of that, but it is a delicious option that is now actually more affordable then let's choose the plant based one.
Elizabeth: [00:45:36] Exactly and let's accelerate, accelerate.
David: [00:45:41] Let’s accelerate, yeah. So I guess this food crisis is well, of course, it's tough for everyone, but I guess the way I look at it is, you always look at the silver lining, right?
Elizabeth: [00:45:51] Yeah, for sure and you're in the UK?
David: [00:45:54] Our products are in the UK. We are working with some of the most iconic fish and chips, restaurants and chains. So and most recently, for example, a vegan chain.
Elizabeth: [00:46:04] What's the vegan chain?
David: [00:46:05] It’s called Oowee. They are in London, they also have multiple locations. They launched our ocean burger and the owner told me that this is the most successful new product launch ever.
Elizabeth: [00:46:19] I mean, you are accelerating the whole plant based movement like leaps and bounds. I mean, we need more than just you, there's a big world out there, but you're definitely playing your role.
David: [00:46:29] Well, we are still, at the end of the day, we are one team, one company and, you know, we need to grow this as a sector, but we try to do our best. Again, I don't want to make it sound like it's just something that automatically happens. It's a lot of hard work. These two years, I mean, the level of challenges is just ridiculous. It's off the chart.
Elizabeth: [00:46:51] You've been around for four years. Two and a half of them have been COVID and now you're all over the planet and the demand is out of control.
David: [00:46:59] On one hand, I think it is an exhibit or an evidence of the execution ability of the team that we are able to overcome some of these obstacles despite how difficult they are. But on the other hand, it's just that there's just no choice. We have to push this forward. We all have to push this forward. We have our own problems that we deal with every day. There isn't a day that goes by without some mess that we're like, okay, it's more bad news. There are always some surprises, right? Is like freight costs, port issues, labor issues, of course, COVID issues. Then in Asia, we are still dealing with different kinds of lockdowns, you know, and quarantines and things like that. So, yeah, I mean, I really hope we can, I don't even know what resuming to normal means, but I hope the world can at least somewhat resume to normal. But at the same time, in terms of the change to what's plant based, that must accelerate.
Elizabeth: [00:48:07] Now you're here in the US, which is very exciting. You introduced me, I didn't know about the website GTFO It's Vegan.
David: [00:48:15] Yes.
Elizabeth: [00:48:17] Which is awesome, by the way. I can't believe I didn't know about it, but GTFO It's vegan, it’s one place.
David: [00:48:24] It's one of the online platforms, or Vejii.
Elizabeth: [00:48:29] Vejii, right.
David: [00:48:29] Then in the New York area, for example, FreshDirect, I mean, which I think a lot of people have accounts at. Then many of the independent stores here nationwide, all the sprouts, many of the Whole Foods were not nationwide yet because of distribution reasons. But many of the Whole Foods.
Elizabeth: [00:48:46] You’re not in my Whole Foods.
David: [00:48:47] Yes, we need to work on that. Then just growing, we definitely have more distribution points both in terms of retail and food service to come. Then both the Omni park products and then the Omni Seafood products and then some of the ready to eat meals and dim sum appetizers. So I'm particularly proud of Omni pork, gyoza and spring rolls. These are products that everyone can enjoy.
Elizabeth: [00:49:18] Right. Whatever you did to make it taste so good, I think that's why you're everywhere on the planet now. It's a whole new level of seafood and a whole new level of pork for plant based. I don't know what you did. I don't know how you made it so good, but it's pretty incredible.
David: [00:49:36] Number one, we definitely have a lot of foodies on our team. And number two, we do have a lot of dietitians, nutritionists on our team and of course, food scientists and R&D people. So ultimately it is a combination of food science for technology and culinary excellence, because no matter how good the protein is, we still need to marinate, season, cook it with the right method because the ingredient is one thing. But cooking and recipes, these all matter. So and then of course, finally, it's the nutrition profile. So we are proud to say that when people look at ingredient lists of Omni and then also the nutrition profile. We aim for our products to definitely have a health proposition to not just vegans but definitely to everyone. So, people should feel, and this is like objectively the fact that by eating this they can get the nutrition they need, but at the same time, avoid the ones that we want less of.
Elizabeth: [00:50:52] Very cool.
David: [00:50:53] Yeah. So by all means, yes whether it's GTFO, whether it is FreshDirect, you know, Sprouts and many, many others. For those who may be hearing about Omni for the first time, give it a try.
Elizabeth: [00:51:03] My dad is a vegan for health. He went vegan at 77 and now he's 85 and he's incredible. When I see him, I'm seeing him this weekend, I'm bringing a bunch of your seafood products and he's going to be very excited.
David: [00:51:18] Now, again, I think most people, if not all, will be pleasantly surprised. And again, it's about variety. It's something, in terms of food, we don't eat the same thing every day. No matter how much you love something, you love sushi, you love burgers, you love pizza. I hope most people don't but you don't normally eat pizza like seven days a week or burgers seven days a week, even if you love it. Right, so variety is the name of the game for food and again goes back to the name Omni. We try to create Omni options for people, as many options as possible. So one day you can be using our fish filet and make fish and chips. But on the other day you can use our ground meats and make dumplings. So fish filet dumplings, luncheon meat sandwich, tuna pasta, you name it. I mean, it can make your whole week or longer, of course, just full of surprises, taste good and feel good.
Elizabeth: [00:52:21] I love it. I love it. Thank you so much, David.
David: [00:52:25] Thank you for having me.
Elizabeth: [00:52:26] That's great. It was fun. To learn more about David, to learn about Green Monday and to eat Omni foods, go to our website SpeciesUnite.com. We will have links to everything. We are on Facebook and Instagram, @SpeciesUnite. If you have a spare moment and could do us a favor, please subscribe, rate, review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts because it really helps people find the show. If you'd like to support Species Unite, we would greatly appreciate it. Go to our website, SpeciesUnite.com and click Donate. I'd like to thank everyone at Species Unite, including Gary Knudsen, Caitlin Pierce, Amy Jones, Paul Healey, Santina Polky, Bethany Jones and Anna O'Connor, who wrote and performed today's music. Thank you for listening. Have a wonderful day.
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