World Food Future For Women, Foodies & Scientists
It’s no secret I love food. The Michelin Guide says so too: https://guide.michelin.com/sg/people/mother-s-day-special-5-questions-with-singapore-s-foodie-mums/news. I’m also exceptionally nerdy, as you’ll see in this article: http://www.portfoliomagsg.com/article/dr-jade-kua.html. Thus, when I heard about the World Food Future for Women conference, I was doubly intrigued.
It sounded like a brilliant idea. So last night, I brought M5 to the launch at the National Library.
What It’s All About
Women Hold Up Half The Sky
I learnt that the World Food Future for Women is a conference scheduled for March 2019. This is in conjunction with International Women’s Day. In fact, the conference chair, Ms Trina Liang, was president of Singapore Committee for UN Women. She’s done so much good work. Some of her tough campaigns included #heforshe & Equal Pay.
Last night she told us that women make 93% of home food decisions. Yet they form a minority in the C-suite of major food companies. Hence she is fielding a majority of women speakers. In doing so, she hopes to highlight their impact in the evolving food space. After all, as Mao Zedong said, “Women hold up half the sky.”
Educate, Discern, Nourish
This conference is an initiative by Halo Health Asia, a social enterprise. Halo Health Asia wants people to be more discerning about nourishment. Aspects of education include food science research, innovation and robust discussions. And that’s what they’ll be offering at the World Food Future for Women. If you’re interested, tickets can be purchased at https://worldfoodfuture2019.peatix.com.
It gets even better. Net proceeds from the conference are ploughed straight back into education. Specifically, a free primary school nutrition programme, called FoodSteps, pilots in primary schools next year. I’m quite excited as empowering children with knowledge allows them to change their attitudes and behavior. This is why my DARE team & I invest time teaching kids How We Save A Heart Together.
Support System
I peeked at the conference programme. Speakers include all major stakeholders. This bodes well for balanced discussions involving the government, academics, business-owners & consumers.
Last night alone, many of Trina’s friends convened to support her. There were representatives from the Singapore Council of Women’s Organisations, like Junie Foo. Also present were restauranteur, Tay Su-Lyn from Violet Oon, and founder of High Net Worth, Wy-Lene Yap. I was delighted to sit with Dr Denise Goh, a senior paediatrician from NUH, and my cousin Jonathan Kua, SVP of ST Engineering.
World Food Future for Women is not just a brilliant idea. Right off the bat, you can see it developing rapidly with a great support system. And that’s why, the future of food in a world led by women like Trina, is very bright indeed.
