The founder of Hong Kong–based social enterprise Green Monday, David Yeung, has been recognised as a 2018 Social Entrepreneur of the Year for his efforts in promoting sustainability and mindful eating.

Started in 2012, Green Monday is a social start-up that raises awareness on key issues such as climate change and food insecurity. The enterprise is known for promoting the one-green-day-a-week meal plan, which hopes to alleviate environmental fatigue caused by the overconsumption of meat. This initiative encourages consumers to incorporate at least one day of plant-based eating into their weekly diets and has been adopted by over 1,000 Hong Kong eateries.

“While many people still think vegans only eat salads and tofu, plant-based eating actually has gone through light years of evolution in the past few years,” Yeung said in a statement. He cited the fresh crop of food-tech start-ups such as Beyond Meat, JUST and Impossible Foods that have been creating meat-like plant-based products as the future of protein.

Yeung himself has been involved in these endeavours. Earlier this year, a subsidiary of Green Monday, Right Treat, unveiled Omnipork, a plant-based pork alternative. Consisting primarily of pea protein, GMO-free soy and shiitake, Omnipork markets itself as having 71 per cent less saturated fat and 233 per cent more calcium than traditional pork.

Omnipork is currently on the menu at a dozen Hong Kong restaurants, including Michelin-starred Ming Court. It is also available for purchase at branches of Green Common, Green Monday’s sustainability-minded shop, and Green Common’s sister restaurant, Kind Kitchen.

Yeung was one of 11 recipients awarded by the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship, a sister organisation of The World Economic Forum.

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