Re-imagining P-O-R-K: A Letter From David Yeung, Founder of Omnipork

While the majority of startups are busy building the next big thing in blockchain, AI, Big Data, fintech, biotech or ICO, my team and I have been focusing on re-inventing the most unsexy, un-talked-about basic necessity that the world consumes every minute, yet is often taken for granted.

That basic necessity is P-O-R-K.

This isn’t an acronym that stands for something fancy. We are indeed talking about the meat that comes from pig, which happens to be the MOST consumed animal protein in the world, especially here in Asia. In China, 65% of all meat consumed is pork. There are 1.3 billion human beings in China, yet there are 700 million pigs. The human-to-pig ratio is 2:1.

Amazingly, in Chinese, the word “home 家” literally has a pig inside. A home isn’t a home unless there is pig and pork under the roof.

So why bother to disrupt the hog industry when there are a gazillion other “cooler” things to do? Well…We see a problem related to our food supply chain and the collective future of our planet and humanity. If we don’t reengineer and revolutionize it, we will run out of food to eat, and our planet will no longer be liveable, thanks to climate change.

Just a tiny problem that affects 7.6 billion people today, and 10 billion people in the foreseeable future.

At this very minute, African Swine Fever [a virus that is fatal to pigs] is spreading globally and worsening in China. 600,000 pigs have already died in the last month. (And this is just the reported number…Who knows what the real number is). Industrial animal farming is not just the most inhumane path, but also the most unsustainable. The abuse that includes using hormones and antibiotics in the livestock industry has blown past its threshold a long time ago. Animals are living in such absurd environments that Bird Flu, Swine Fever and Mad Cow Disease are not an exception but the norm. The manure from the hog industry is one of the main sources of water pollution. The carbon footprint of pork is right behind beef and lamb. AND…livestock farming is ridiculously inefficient when it comes to food production.

Oh and did I forget to mention that meat in general is high-cholesterol, high-fat and high-calorie? According to the WHO, meat is carcinogenic and is directly linked to cancer, heart disease and all sorts of illnesses.

The likes of emerging global food tech powerhouses such as Beyond Meat, Impossible Foods, JUST, Memphis Meats aren’t just some plant-based meat initiated by vegans for vegans. These are innovators and scientists trying to address this most urgent crisis our planet is facing. It is not an accident that the United Nations just gave its highest sustainability award called “Champions of the Earth” to the founders of Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods. It is certainly not a coincidence that people like Bill Gates, Li Ka-Shing, Richard Branson and Leonardo DiCaprio are investing in this space.

Today, we are proud to announce that our self-incubated Omnipork has officially arrived. We create Omnipork because we know how Asian people are obsessed with pork in our cooking. Just look at all the regular food on our menu: 蒸肉餅、小籠包、菜肉雲吞、咕嚕肉、麻婆豆腐、滷肉飯、豬扒包、生菜包、午餐肉、蝦餃、燒賣、春卷… Everything has pork inside, sometimes playing the lead role, sometimes playing the supporting role. But one thing is for sure: it is everywhere.

To tackle an omnipresent problem, we need an omnipotent solution. That’s why Omnipork was born: a healthier, greener and cruelty-free pork, not just for vegetarians or vegans, but for ALL people. It is especially suitable for Asian cuisine and home cooking.

Compared to pork, Omnipork has 70% less saturated fat and 65% less calories. It has ZERO cholesterol, 333% more calcium. and 53% more iron. It has 12.2g of protein per 100g serving. It is GMO free, hormone-free and antibiotic-free. Its main ingredients are pea, non-GMO soy, shiitake mushrooms and brown rice.

Let me put it another way: If Coke has Coke Zero, Omnipork is Pork Zero: Zero cholesterol. Zero cruelty. Zero junk!

Omnipork applications are no different than minced pork, just cleaner and user-friendlier. Chefs from Grand Hyatt and Fullerton Hotel to 上海生煎王 and 肉餅哥 have used omnipork to come up with lots of culinary magic. Over the past half a year, hundreds of amazing omnipork dishes in Chinese, Thai, Japanese and even Macanese cuisines have been created and impressed chefs and foodies alike.

After years of planning and hard work by the team, the retail pack is finally here. Each person and every family can now use Omnipork to create their own culinary magic. By doing so, every person can be a change-maker.

So I ask you: please buy a pack (or three, or ten). Support our mission. The planet, along with hundreds of millions of animals, will be thanking you!!

With gratitude,
David Yeung
Nov 26th, 2018

Photo courtesy of Green Monday.