Sustainable practices in the catering sector were discussed on the 22nd of January at the International Gastronomy Forum. The panel, which brought together industry representatives, launched the "Great Green Food Journey" project, a partnership between National Geographic and the Macau Government Tourist Office, to tell stories and share ideas related to sustainable gastronomy in Macau.
Over the next six months, a National Geographic team will be in Macau looking for stories and ideas related to sustainable practices in the catering industry. The project, entitled "Great Green Food Journey", was announced during the International Gastronomy Forum on the 22nd of January where National Geographic representative Con Apostolopoulos, revealed that the first content will be released in mid February. A sample of what this project will entail was presented during a panel at the event, as well as a look at what is already being done by the gaming operators, restaurants, educational institutions and government in the field of sustainable gastronomy.
"This started as an initiative of the Macau Government Tourist Office. They wanted to look at different ways of promoting what they have been doing, the way in which they attract people, and food is an angle that offers them a unique advantage. Our work here is to explore, not only the culture of what has been done, but also to look at the future," Con Apostolopoulos explained.
The project will run until June when the content will be aggregated and will, in principle, be called "Great Green Food Journey". The guiding principle will be the sustainable practices that are already applied in Macau, but the project will not have a "purely green" angle, explains Apostolopoulos.
"It will not just be about sustainable ideas. We have to understand that food is a journey and not everything will be 100% sustainable, but we are looking for these stories as the direction of what has to happen as tourism grows."
The panel at the International Gastronomy Forum brought together various industry representatives, from restaurant owners, chefs and teachers, operators' managers and members of the government, exemplifying the range of the people National Geographic will be hearing from in the coming months.
PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS
During the panel, one of the main problems in adopting sustainable practices in the catering industry in Macau was discussed, namely, where to import ingredients from.
"This is something I'm fighting on a personal level. The problem is a double-edged sword, that is, we want to be sustainable, but we also have to think about our ecological footprint," said Hans Rasmussen, head of kitchen, food and beverage at the Institute for Tourism Training (IFT).
The solution, said the chef, is to find compromises, but also to look for alternatives to importing. To this end, IFT now has a vegetable garden where some of the ingredients served in the restaurant come from. This option also serves to teach students where food comes from, part of the sustainable approach that the school wants to instill in its students.
"Sustainability is unknown territory to them and some Macau children do not have much experience with the concept of 'farm to table'," Chef Hans said.
Cheng Wai Tong, deputy director of the Macau Government Tourist Office, said that although people's awareness is increasing, there is still much work to be done. This work, said the director, should not only be the responsibility of the government, but also the entire industry.
"We have many integrated resorts and many buffet restaurants. There are still many unresolved issues if we are to better deal with the problem of food waste," he said.
