Net Zero & Nature Positive Theatre (Keynote)
Overcoming Food Insecurity: Pursuing Greater Self-Sufficiency for Hong Kong
Day 2 : 14:30 – 15:20
As a wealthy city with an urban population and close proximity to Mainland China, the pressing threats which have forced food security to be top of mind for many globally, such as crop failures due to droughts, flooding, and lack of access to food imports due to political instability, are relatively rare occurrences in Hong Kong. However, deprioritising food insecurity as a distant threat ignores the interdependence of global food supply systems and leaves Hong Kong vulnerable to external shocks.
What opportunities and challenges exist for businesses in Hong Kong to apply a food systems approach, and implement local food security into business strategies?
Learnings
- 66 years ago, Hong Kong produced about 2/3 of the vegetables it consumed. Today it produces less than 2%. Consequently, the vast majority of Hong Kong’s produce, 95%, is imported from around the world, with the US, China and Brazil being the top 3 suppliers by value.
- Hong Kong’s over-reliance on food imports exposes the city to global commodity disruptions and price fluctuations. Nomura’s 2019 “Food Vulnerability Index” ranked Hong Kong as the world’s 42nd most vulnerable place, not far behind low-income countries such as Pakistan, the Philippines and Egypt.
- Consequently, any events that disrupt food production and regional and global exports have significant knock-on effects. This was made clear during the COVID-19 pandemic, when supply chain shocks caused fresh produce and poultry shortages. As climate-related disasters and supply chain disruptions increase in frequency, it is crucial that Hong Kong understands the direct impact of climate and other related risks as well as viable solutions towards greater food self-sufficiency.
Post-Event Actions
- Understand food security from a Hong Kong lens, and how business leaders can weave robust supply chains development into business plans,
- Rethink how your company and industry can play a role and integrate food security into sustainability strategies.
Speakers
Moderator
Dr Margaret Burnett
Programme Director
Centre for Civil Society and Governance, The University of Hong Kong
Dr Margaret Burnett
Centre for Civil Society and Governance, The University of Hong Kong
Programme Director
Currently the Programme Director for the Master of Social Sciences in Sustainability Leadership and Governance, University of Hong Kong, Margaret has 30 years of experience in sustainability. Her professional experience crosses the private, public and NGO sectors. Margaret developed and has grown this taught Master programme to be a uniquely placed learning experience for professionals wishing to expand their sustainability credentials. She teaches business ethics, stakeholder engagement, ESG disclosure frameworks, sustainability strategy, circularity in the value chain, principles for corporate sustainability. Has also, developed and delivered sustainability leadership training modules, partnered with international NGO to deliver experiential learning for corporate leadership development and executive training. She is often a guest speaker, and partners with organizations in Hong Kong such as HKIA, Swire group, HSH, Gammon, ACM, Green Island Cement, ReThink, EcoMatcher, Zerofood Print Asia, Canadian Chamber, to provide support to their in-house sustainability initiatives.
My Sustainability Goals for 2025:
To see the private sector, take a more active role in shaping Hong Kong into the vibrant, model of sustainability promoting sustainable living (more holistic approaches), where innovation, collaboration and ecological awareness support a resilient community and a high quality of living for everyone. To see our leaders ensure us a city that integrates nature into its urban fabric (“healthy city” vision), a commitment (shared by all) to community well-being as well as economic prosperity that can be experienced by all. To see both the private and public sector prioritizing investment in people and ensuring access to common goods and services for all.
Gabrielle Kirstein
Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Gabrielle Kirstein
Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Gabrielle Kirstein is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Feeding Hong Kong, a registered charity with a mission to fight hunger in Hong Kong and reduce the amount of quality food being sent to our city’s landfills. Feeding Hong Kong achieves this by collecting high quality food that would otherwise be thrown away and redistributing it to frontline charities feeding people in need.
Gabrielle started her career at the international advertising agency Bates. She moved to Hong Kong in 2003 and worked in communications and events with Euromoney Institutional Investor, The Economist Group and others, until founding Feeding Hong Kong in 2011.
Gabrielle is also a Board Director of Redress, an environmental NGO working to reduce waste in the fashion industry and co-founder of The Redress Design Award, Redress’ flagship programme. She holds a BA in English Literature from Durham University and MSc in Development Studies from the School of Oriental and African Studies.
Tsz Wai Loong
Chief Executive
Tsz Wai Loong
Chief Executive
Believer in asset-based community development. Chief Executive of Land Education Foundation. Book writer and columnist. The HKJC Chicago Booth EMBA Scholar.
Four years ago, he moved back to Lantau Island and started his adventure with community-supported agriculture and farmland conservation in villages. Recently, he opened a community hub called “Good Old Soil” to sell made-in-Lantau products, including the craft beer made by wampee fruit produced in the Lantau.
Jonathan Yeoh
Co- Founder & CFO
Jonathan Yeoh
Co- Founder & CFO
Co-Founder and CFO of KIN with the mission to change the way we eat. 14 years of investment banking experience, leading institutional sales & trading teams and investment committee member. Initial investor and previously the COO of Maximal Concepts, driving the team’s Mott 32 global expansion. Financial Controller for the climate change documentary, The Last Glaciers.
My Sustainability goals for 2023:
KIN’s mission is to change the way we eat, to combat the climate crisis. We believe ingredient change is the solution.
Supported by
Feeding Hong Kong
Booth NGO-3
Feeding Hong Kong is a locally registered charity with more than 10 years experience in reducing the amount of quality food being sent to landfills and redistributing it to our network of 150+ welfare organisations, who in turn feed thousands of people in need. We are the only accredited member of the Global Food Bank Network.
Visit: feedinghk.org
Our sustainability goals for 2025:
- We will continue to address the food waste issue in Hong Kong by through continuing and expanding our surplus food collection program
- We will look into ways to reduce the environmental impact of our daily operations, including greening our logistics, improving waste management, and reviewing our current procurement policies.
- We aim to foster a sustainable community through education on food waste, and by engaging corporations and the public to reduce food waste through volunteering.
Global Institute for Tomorrow
GIFT is an independent pan-Asian think tank dedicated to advancing a deeper understanding of today’s most critical drivers of change – from the emergence of a post-Western world to the reshaping of global capitalism and the dynamic relationship between business, society, and the state. Our practical insights, internationally acclaimed leadership learning curriculum, and outcome-driven facilitation help our clients navigate the seismic shifts shaping our future, particularly in key areas of sustainable development, social and environmental impact, sustainability, and policymaking.
Our sustainability goals for 2023:
Committed to solving growing existential threats and societal challenges, we aim to:
Move ESG beyond reporting, and reframe narratives to enable real and sustained transformation in ESG by working with clients to distil ESG in every aspect of business, from products and services to employees and the supply chain.
Support companies in rethinking their core business models to embrace the true ethos of “sustainability”, elevating sustainability conversations beyond environmental management & short-term business goals and towards long-term societal sustainability.
Scale up the accessibility of sustainability education and facilitate disruptive learning that empowers individuals and organisations with insights to redesign society through our new EdTech platform, GIFT.ed.
Our initiative in accelerating sustainable development in Hong Kong:
GIFT’s annual Hong Kong Young Leaders Programme (HKYLP) is a public consultation platform that convenes young professionals from the Business, Government and Civil society sectors to address Hong Kong’s pertinent complex societal challenges. Through the programme, participants meet with stakeholders and experts to gain cross-sector insights to develop innovative policy solutions for the betterment of Hong Kong. Since its inaugural programme in 2015, we have developed many policy recommendations and best practices for sustainable development, such as our 2022 programme on the Northern Metropolis Development Strategy, where participants were able to develop policy recommendations to enable the Northern Metropolis to become a liveable and resilient city while meeting Hong Kong’s long term policy objectives such as its 2050 decarbonisation goals.
For our upcoming 2023 HKYLP programme, we will be examining how promoting well-being may be key to reversing brain drain in Hong Kong. Driven by events in recent years, Hong Kong people have become increasingly dissatisfied by their inability to find fulfilment, security and empowerment in Hong Kong, all of which are key indicators for well-being. As such, key groups, particularly youth, have decided to relocate to competitor cities in search of better career prospects and outlooks for their children’s future – leading to the aforementioned brain drain. The HKYLP engages participants to define well-being in Hong Kong’s context and develop a Well-being Strategy that engages actors across public, private, and civil society sectors to create a conducive environment for youth to thrive in Hong Kong. Importantly, the cohort will be invited to engage with the concept of ‘well-being’ beyond ‘mental health’. Instead, the cohort will analyse well-being on a ‘what matters most’ approach, primarily understood as the notion of one’s life satisfaction, happiness, and the ability for one to ‘function well’.
With thanks to
KIN
KIN’s mission is to change the way we eat, to combat the climate crisis. We believe ingredient change is the solution. We are bringing a systemic solution to restaurants, catering and grocery sectors. KIN will empower consumers, and companies, to understand their supply chain and make carbon reductive decisions.
Our sustainbility goals for 2023:
KIN’s 2023 Sustainability Goals:
1. Track our core ingredients carbon footprint against a mean average
2. Sell at least 1 million low carbon, cage free eggs in our operations and supermarkets
3. Prepare 90,000 sustainable school meals for kids in KIN Schools
4. Target 70% of our catering in circular packaging
5. Prepare our first impact report for 2023
Solutions Showcase:
- Circular Solutions
- F&B Products/Food Supply
- Sourcing & Supply Chain
- Sustainability Services
- Sustainable Products
- Technology & Innovation
- Waste Reduction & Recycling Management
UN SDG goals that we align with:
- SDG 9 Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
- SDG 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities
- SDG 12 Responsible Consumption and Production
- SDG 13 Climate Action
Legal Name: AC Global Limited
General Enquiry Email Address: events@kinfoodhalls.com
General Business Address: Unit 10A, 11/F, Kodak House II, 39 Healthy Street East, Quarry Bay, Hong Kong