Singaporean Vegan Start-Up Wins Big At 2019 Asia Food Innovation Awards

Amongst the winners and finalists announced at the recent Asia Food Innovation Awards ceremony were a number of innovative plant-based food technology and sustainable packaging companies from the region including a Singaporean vegan cheese company and a Malaysian rice straw manufacturer.

The awards, hosted by FoodBev Media, featured more than 70 entries from 14 countries across different categories including Best Artisan Product, Best Concept, Best Convenience Food, Best Free-from Product, Best Ingredient Innovation amongst others. KROODI, a Singapore-based start-up that produces artisan vegan cheese alternatives, stole the show by snatching up 3 out of the 13 awards available.

Established in 2017, KROODI’s main philosophy is keeping its artisan plant-based, gluten and refined-sugar free cheeses as raw, unprocessed and nutritious as possible. They use only natural ingredients with no added preservatives to show that healthy cashew-based cheese can be just as, if not tastier, than regular dairy cheeses. They went home with awards for Best Artisan Product, Best Concept, and Best Free-From Product.

Two other food-tech companies featured as runner-up finalists in the Best Free-From Product category including the US’s The Meatless Farm Co with their Meat-Free Mince, and Coco & Lucas’ Kitchen’s vegan ready meals. Aussie-based Coco & Lucas’ Kitchen received attention for creating nutritionally-packed, gluten and lactose free ready meals for children.

Best sustainable packaging winner NLYTECH Biotech competed with their plastic-free rice straws. The new Malaysian-based environmentally conscious start-up company aims to provide a solution for the global plastic pollution problem by making RiceStraws widely accessible for business adoption at a low cost. In addition to making the straws edible, the company has taken into consideration cultural and religious concerns by ensuring that the manufacturing of RiceStraws fulfils Halal requirements.

Also in the running for the sustainable packaging title was BioPak with their BioCane product. With a circular economy approach in mind, the Australian company stars in their innovative use of renewable sugarcane pulp that is left over from the sugar industry to make tree-free takeaway containers.

FoodBev Media Senior Editor Bryony Andrews said in a statement that “The winners and finalists can rightly be very proud of the recognition an Asia Food Innovation Award gives them now and in the future.”

As many of the 2019 Asia Food Innovation Award winners are Asian Pacific based, there is reason to be excited about future sustainability and plant-based developments in the region.

Lead image courtesy of Kroodi.