PETALING JAYA: Many of us can remember being told to “eat your veggies!” while growing up.
While the word “vegetarian” or “vegan” would leave many scrunching their noses, it seems the public these days is becoming more health conscious and is striving to eat more healthily.
If you’re curious about how to go about adapting your diet and lifestyle in this direction, the upcoming Veg Fest 3.0 is a good place to get some pointers.
Organised by the online marketplace Veg Hub, the third iteration of the festival showcases the country’s best plant-based enterprises.
“With our previous two events, we brought the best brands, influencers and thought leaders in Malaysia under one roof,” Veg Hub co-founder Gulshan Rai told FMT Lifestyle recently.
“The cumulative turnout was close to 30,000 visitors, which is quite encouraging for this first-of-its-kind event.”
Gulshan explained that being vegetarian themselves, the organisers understand the difficulties in sustaining a meatless diet in Malaysia.
“This is why we hope to empower people to try to follow a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle by offering countless options for them through our platform. Veg Fest is in a way a manifestation of that vision,” she added.
This year, the festival hosts up to 60 of the best names in the community, and will conduct sub-events to promote sustainability and a green lifestyle, covering such topics as climate change and carbon-footprint reduction.
Visitors can look forward to seeing known brands such as Quorn and Nestle, and can also expect to be introduced to many small home-based businesses.
Mushroom rendang, anyone? Mushroom.lah brings the Malaysian favourite to another level by infusing it with a vegan touch, in line with its vision of innovating local cuisines.
Meanwhile, Pinxin Vegan Cuisine offers pre-packed meals with a Nyonya twist, demonstrating big strides in food and product innovation.
Of course, you can’t leave the festival without desserts. If you head to Coco Kami’s booth, you’ll find all things coconut – from refreshing water and tasty jelly to pudding and even fried coconut strips!
“We would love for coconut meat to become one of the staple ingredients of a plant-based diet, alongside soy and mushrooms,” co-founder Chong You Le said.
The festival doesn’t just tout foods: personal-care items are also up for grabs, such as those by the vegan hair dye brand Leafie B, which focuses on homemade hand-blended colouring products.
Founder Christine Tang told FMT Lifestyle she took nearly two years to develop the goods, which are packed with botanical vitamins and minerals.
“My vision is for more women to switch to safer natural hair dyes,” she said. “That’s why I made them affordable for people from all walks of life.”
Meanwhile, returning Veg Fest participant Chettinad Cotton Studio will feature gorgeous sarees made from plant-based instead of silkworm threads.
Its environmentally friendly collections cater to both men and women, all at reasonable prices.
Apart from these, visitors can look forward to a host of events including talks, fashion shows, and live cooking demonstrations. There will also be fun activities for kids as the organisers believe in planting seeds of change from young.
Finally, don’t miss out on coupon cashbacks – all you need to do is bring along some items for recycling.
So, whether you’re a seasoned lover of all things plant-based, are keen to learn more about a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle, or simply wish to see what it has to offer, head on over to Veg Fest 3.0 this weekend!
Veg Fest 3.0
When:
Sept 8-10 (Friday-Sunday), 10am-9pm
Where:
Paradigm Mall,
1 Jalan SS7/26a, SS7,
Petaling Jaya, Selangor
For more information, follow Veg Fest on Facebook and Instagram, and check out its website here.