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Tag: meals

  • Wild Game to Wholesome Meals: New-Zealand Hunters and Butchers Unite for Local Foodbanks

    Wild Game to Wholesome Meals: New-Zealand Hunters and Butchers Unite for Local Foodbanks

    Food banks in Wellington have experienced a significant boost due to a cooperative initiative that integrated the hunting industry, community organizations, and local enterprises. A total of 775 meals were contributed due to the joint effort of the NZ Game Animal Council, Game Changer NZ, the Wellington Branch of the New Zealand Deerstalkers Association, and Cameron Harrison Butchery. These meals are a much-appreciated result of a unique project that combines community involvement with natural resources.

    Wild Game as a Resource

    Corina Jordan, CEO of the Game Animal Council, explained the importance of these meals to families under economic strain. “As many households are experiencing strain due to the cost of living, the provision of high-quality protein can considerably impact their wellbeing,” she said. The New Zealand wild game is an incredibly valuable resource, Jordan pointed out. This project demonstrates how hunters can convert wild venison into nourishing meals for families in need, embodying a remarkable example of hunters applying their abilities and enthusiasm to make a positive impact on their communities.

    The project was financed by Game Changer NZ through the Game Animal Council’s hunt-and-share meat platform. Wayne Langford, the founder and chair of the Wild Game Recovery Trust, confirmed the effectiveness of this new model.

    Community Collaboration for a Greater Good

    Showcasing the benefits of community funding, proficient hunters, accommodating butchers, food banks, and charities, Langford highlighted how we can transform a valuable wild game resource into high-quality meals. “This project offers a practical model that could be reproduced in communities all around New Zealand, allowing more hunters and local businesses to make a significant contribution,” he stated.

    Questions & Answers

    What impact did the project have on food banks in Wellington?
    The project led to the donation of 775 meals, providing a significant boost to local food banks.

    Who are the primary participants in this initiative?
    The initiative is a collaboration between the NZ Game Animal Council, Game Changer NZ, the Wellington Branch of the New Zealand Deerstalkers Association, and Cameron Harrison Butchery.

    How does this project utilize the resource of wild game?
    Hunters harvest wild venison, which is then turned into high-quality, nutritious meals for families in need, showcasing an effective utilization of the wild game resource.

  • Vietnam Airlines Teams Up with Pizza 4P’s: Savour In-Flight Meals like Never Before!

    Vietnam Airlines Teams Up with Pizza 4P’s: Savour In-Flight Meals like Never Before!

    Vietnam Airlines has recently introduced a new feature, offering meals sourced from the immensely popular Pizza 4P’s restaurant chain. The airline commenced the sale of these meals on Monday, on select domestic flights lasting 60 minutes or more and international flights that are a minimum of 90 minutes departing from Hanoi and HCMC, according to an official statement.

    Menu and Pricing

    Among the meal options available are Margherita and 4 cheeses, priced at VND119,000 dong (US$4.51) for half a standard pizza. However, potential customers are required to place their orders a minimum of 24 hours in advance, either via the airline’s official website or mobile app.

    Other airlines in Vietnam like Vietjet, Bamboo Airways, and Vietravel Airlines have already ventured into the sale of food and souvenirs on board their flights. In 2022, Vietnam Airlines also began selling milk tea on board, with prices set at VND49,000 per cup on domestic routes and VND100,000 on international flights.

    Shift Towards Personalized Offerings

    The initiative is part of Vietnam Airlines’ strategic shift towards offering more personalized, co-branded products that cater to the evolving needs of younger travelers, families, and international passengers.

    Pizza 4P’s, established in 2011 by Japanese duo Yosuke Masuko and Sanae Takasugi, is renowned for its pizza. Despite pizza being the main dish on its menu, the brand positions itself as a restaurant chain instead of a fast-food outlet. It now boasts 40 restaurants, with 35 locations in Vietnam and additional branches in Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan, and India.

    Questions & Answers

    What are the new meal options available on Vietnam Airlines?
    Vietnam Airlines has introduced meals from the popular Pizza 4P’s restaurant chain, including Margherita and 4 cheeses options.

    How can customers purchase these meals on Vietnam Airlines?
    Customers are required to place their orders a minimum of 24 hours in advance, either through the official website or mobile app of Vietnam Airlines.

    What is the goal of Vietnam Airlines in introducing these new meal options?
    Introducing meals from Pizza 4P’s is part of Vietnam Airlines’ strategic shift towards offering more personalized, co-branded products to cater to the evolving needs of younger travelers, families, and international passengers.

  • Jollibee Becomes Brunei’s No.1 Fastfood Chain

    Jollibee Becomes Brunei’s No.1 Fastfood Chain

    Chargé d’ Affaires, a.i Pete Raymond V. Delfin of the Philippine Embassy in Brunei Darussalam met with Jollibee Foods Corporation Assistant Vice President Rodel F. Alcantara, and Jollibee Country Head Christina R. Ward at the Embassy on 10 August 2018.

    Mr. Alcantara and Ms. Ward paid a courtesy call on Chargé d’ Affaires Delfin to share information on the recent activities being undertaken by Jollibee Brunei.

    The two executives discussed the positive business experiences of Jollibee in the country, having become the no. 1 fastfood chain in Brunei. Mr. Alcantara also said Jollibee’s operation in Brunei is currently the strongest among its international operations.

    Chargé d’ Affaires, a.i. Pete Raymond V. Delfin, during his meeting with Jollibee Foods Corporation Assistant Vice President and Market Head Rodel F. Alcantara, and Jollibee County Head Christina R. Ward at the Philippine Embassy in Brunei Darussalam on 10 August 2018.

    Mr. Alcantara delivered an invitation for Embassy officials to grace the opening of the 17th Jollibee store in Brunei in October 2018.

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  • Deliveroo’s Six Month Partnership with Feeding Hong Kong Raises HK$650,000, delivering 130,000 Meals to Hong Kong’s Food Insecure

    Deliveroo’s Six Month Partnership with Feeding Hong Kong Raises HK$650,000, delivering 130,000 Meals to Hong Kong’s Food Insecure

    Deliveroo today announces that, together with Feeding HK, over HK$650,000 has been raised by Deliveroo customers through the delivery app’s donation feature. A first of its kind in Hong Kong, the Deliveroo in-app donation and tipping feature allowed customers to round up their totals or make an additional contribution. Since the campaign’s kick-off earlier this June, the funds raised have resulted in over 130,000 meals being delivered to Hong Kongers experiencing food insecurity.

    With unemployment at a record 16 year high of 6.4 percent, in 2021 Deliveroo is extending the partnership with Feeding HK to reach low-income-families who have been badly impacted by COVID-19 via their network of frontline charities across Hong Kong, including Action Care in Shau Kei Wan, J Life Foundation in Sham Shui Po, and People Service Centre in Tuen Mun and across four locations in Kowloon.

    Alongside the in-app donations, Deliveroo will partner with Feeding Hong Kong to officially launch its Chinese New Year Food Drive at two of its Editions locations in Quarry Bay and Sai Ying Pun. Hong Kongers can join the Food Drive by dropping off donations of staple foods such as cooking oil, rice and noodles and canned goods which will then be given to disadvantaged families throughout the celebratory period leading up to the Year of the Ox.

    Brian Lo, General Manager of Deliveroo Hong Kong, said, “We have always had high expectations for our partnership with Feeding HK. With families struggling, we want to do our best to make sure people across the city don’t go home to an empty dining table. Today, myself and everyone at Deliveroo are extremely proud to report that the initiative has achieved so much in just a short six months, resulting in over 130,000 meals delivered to beneficiaries all across Hong Kong.”

    “I’d like to personally thank all of the Deliveroo customers who donated – HK$650,000 is certainly not a small amount – and used the tip feature throughout our campaign. Your donations have made an enormous impact on the lives of thousands of people. We’re excited to continue to work alongside Feeding HK into the holiday season and new year, to help empower more across the city to extend the power of giving at our Editions locations.”

    Gabrielle Kirstein, Chief Executive Officer of Feeding Hong Kong, said “We’re immensely grateful for the past six months’ support from Deliveroo and are excited to continue to develop our partnership with them. Thanks to the assistance and generosity from Deliveroo and its customers, over 130,000 meals have been delivered to those in Hong Kong at risk of hunger. As the city continues to experience rising unemployment rates, loss of income, and higher food prices throughout the city during the pandemic, campaigns and drives such as this are all the more important.”

    “Our reach to more community members and the additional support we’ve received this year has been so touching. From the bottom of our hearts, we’d like to thank Deliveroo and all those who have donated. We are passionate to keep the momentum going and help to feed more at-risk individuals alongside Deliveroo over the Chinese New Year period.”

    The partnership with Feeding HK comes as Deliveroo pledged last year to make imperative sustainable development goals, following the United Nations Sustainable Development Agenda’s goal of ‘Zero Hunger.’ The CSR effort is among one of the many unique initiatives launched last year to support the community, following a collaboration with The Nesbitt Centre to bring cakes and biscuits to more than 150 frontline hospital staff and a partnership with The Hong Kong Jockey Club’s Charity Trust for its COVID-19 Food Assistance Programme to provide meals for hundreds of thousands of beneficiaries.

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  • 7-Eleven in Taiwan to offer restaurant grade fresh meals

    7-Eleven in Taiwan to offer restaurant grade fresh meals

    Convenience store chain 7-Eleven in Taiwan has partnered with a restaurant and a hotel to offer fresh-cooked meals to consumers.

    The service, launching this week at the Dongxing Road outlet in Taipei, will retail assorted boxed meals targeting office workers following seven different menus prepared for the venture by Regent Taipei chefs and restaurant Su/food.

    Customers are invited to place advance orders for the meals, to be picked up on the same or following day at noon. The partnering providers will deliver the meals to the participating stores, which will store them to preserve the temperature.

    7-Eleven in Taiwan expects the venture to increase its meal sales by 10 to 20 percent. After a trial period, the concept is expected to be rolled out more widely.

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  • Cebu Pacific’s New In-Flight Meals Will Make You Look Forward To Eating During Your Flight

    Cebu Pacific’s New In-Flight Meals Will Make You Look Forward To Eating During Your Flight

    Traveling is a double-edged sword. You’re both excited and stressed, even before you get to the airport. One of the things I’ve been taught to do is to eat a full meal before I even leave the house because airport food is too expensive and airplane food is bad. Barely edible, they say!

    Cebu Pacific is here to silence the haters! They recently introduced a new inflight menu that’s all about your favorite Pinoy comfort foods. Described as “homey,” their selection includes Beef Salpicao, Lechon Paksiw, and even Pinoy Spaghetti!

    I know I’m always craving Singaporean food so I was elated to also see Hainanese Chicken Rice on the menu.

    If, however, you don’t feel like having anything heavy, opt for their new sandwiches instead: the Roasted Chicken Sandwich and the Crab Salad Sandwich.

    Vegetarians need not worry: Cebu Pacific didn’t forget about you! Enjoy their Veggie Pesto Sandwich, which consists of tomato, lettuce and mozzarella, and ciabatta bread.

    All of these and more are available for pre-order once you’ve booked a flight with Cebu Pacific. Director for Inflight Catering and Sales JB Bueno shared in a press release, “Our meals being on pre-order also helps us guarantee less food wastage, and is in line with efforts towards more sustainable practices and operations.”

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  • HelloFresh to monetise Tasty Perks

    HelloFresh to monetise Tasty Perks

    HelloFresh has launched a new in-box sampling service called Tasty Perks, which allows brands to test new products on the meal kit company’s customers for a fee.

    The in-box advertising program creates a new revenue stream for HelloFresh and gives it additional insights into its customer base. For food and beverage brands, it presents an opportunity to bypass the supermarket shelf and reach customers in their kitchens.

    “Our in-box sampling breaks through the clutter of all other marketing forms because it enables customers to try new brands risk free,” David Williams, HelloFresh senior manager of loyalty and partnerships, said.

    “We generally ask for at least two samples per box to ensure the products get a change to resonate with our customers. To support, we also offer an in-box flyer and social media amplification as part of the package.”

    Customers are incentivised to complete a tailored questionnaire to gain their feedback on products, which HelloFresh’s data analysts can analyse.

    HelloFresh claims to have served 2.04 million active customers worldwide during Q4 2019.

    A HelloFresh spokesperson told this service is offered in other markets, but has been refined over the last six-months to give the best experience in Australia.

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  • Jollibee expanding in Hong Kong

    Jollibee expanding in Hong Kong

    “It feels like you’re back home,” said Filipino Joanna Galabay, a long-time foreign domestic worker in Hong Kong, as she munched on a drumstick at a Jollibee’s branch on Connaught Road.

    Singaporean bags-and-shoes chain Charles & Keith opened its first branch in the upscale New Town Plaza in Sha Tin last month, and will open its second outlet – at Parker House in Central – in November. It has committed to opening another store in the city, and told it plans to “expand cautiously to 10 locations in the next five years.” It has branches in the Philippines and Indonesia so is well known to the city’s domestic helpers

    Potato Corner, which now has four outlets in Hong Kong, said a branch in Central is in the pipeline. The restaurant chain started in the Philippines but, as part of its international expansion, took off as well in Indonesia.

    “For Southeast Asian brands in particular, Hong Kong has a unique advantage for having a long-established Southeast Asian population,” said retail analyst Lawrence Wan of CBRE Hong Kong. “ … You can see their restaurants opening in prime areas. The lifestyle and trendy fast fashion brands from Southeast Asia are also gaining steam.”

    The number of Southeast Asian companies in Hong Kong rose 17 per cent between 2013 and 2017, with the city now having 586 such businesses, according to the government’s Census & Statistics Department. In addition to players like J. CO Donuts & Coffee of Indonesia, and Bread Talk and Irvins Salted Egg, both from Singapore, they include big multinationals, such as the Development Bank of Singapore and the United Overseas Bank, also from the Southeast Asian city state.

    Hundreds of thousands of maids fan out on their Sunday day off in this city of 7.4 million people. Filipino maids often meet their friends at Jollibee, for example, chatting, eating, snapping selfies and calling family back home. In April, visiting Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte created quite a stir when he sat down at the Hung Hom outlet of Jollibee and chatted with a Filipino maid. Indonesian helpers are also fans of Jollibee.

    The women have expanded the customer base of the brands by bringing home drumsticks, doughnuts and other treats with them when they return to their employers’ homes on Sunday nights. The Southeast Asian businesses have also simply grown by word of mouth.

    “We initially entered Hong Kong because of the large Filipino population in the market,” Jollibee’s media office said. “However, we are now seeing that our new stores have majority local customers, with more Hong Kong locals loving our Chickenjoy [chicken meals].”

    Potato Corner, which markets itself as the maker of the “world’s best flavoured fries”, said its Hong Kong stores achieved the “all-time record for highest single day sales” in the brand’s 25 years of operation. It didn’t give specifics.

    “Potato Corner is popular among Filipinos, and some of our most loyal regulars are Filipinos. Indonesians [are our loyal customers], too, as Potato Corner has a strong presence in Indonesia,” said Ryan Asis Maniago, managing director of UpFive Corporation Ltd., the master franchisee in Hong Kong.

    As Hong Kong’s population ages, its need for foreign domestic helpers will grow, with the number of helpers expected to jump to 600,000 over the next three decades, the government says. While their wages are modest – HK$4,520 (US$577) a month, plus living space in their employer’s home and food – their sheer number makes them a serious consumer base. They spend about a quarter of their wages in Hong Kong, according to a study by NGO Mission for Migrant Workers released in August. That would mean they are dropping about HK$5 billion (US$640 million) a year in the city.

    The number of Southeast Asian businesses is expected to grow under two free trade agreement between Hong Kong and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which represents the 10 countries of the region: Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Myanmar (also known as Burma), Cambodia, Laos and Brunei. The agreements go into effect next year.

    Consulate officials from the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand also noted that Hong Kong serves as a strategic gateway to China’s huge number of consumers, elevating its importance to businesses of the Asean member countries.

    However, businesses said in interviews that expansion is hampered by the city’s high rents. Also, some complained that it is difficult for them to set up bank accounts for their operations.

    “The cost of doing business in Hong Kong is more expensive compared with other countries, especially in rent,” Irvins Salted Egg said.

    The snack company said it is negotiating with a few landlords for some prime retail spaces in popular shopping malls.

    In 2017, Hong Kong’s Causeway Bay, home to one of Potato Corner’s branches, had the most expensive retail space in Asia, and second in the world behind New York.

    Property consultant Cushman & Wakefield said annual retail rentals in the trendy and popular shopping district on Hong Kong Island reached HK$21,255 (US$2,712) per square foot, just behind Upper 5th Avenue’s HK$23,400 (US$2,986) per square foot.

    While rents are high, the Thai Consulate applauded the city’s business-friendly tax system.

    “The simple tax system with no VAT and importing tax is also a selling point to Thai exporters,” the Thai Consulate-General said.

    There were 154 existing trademark registrations from Thailand in Hong Kong as of last year, a 77-per cent increase compared to 2016. Leading Thai brands in Hong Kong include Bangkok Bank, spa and spa products retailer Thann, and restaurant Blue Elephant.

    Thais have opened many small business in the city, including massage parlours and beauty and nail salons.

    The city’s attractiveness has grown to Southeast Asian businesses, some of which were quick to thank Filipino and Indonesian domestic helpers for getting them off to a solid start.

    Noemi Morgado, a Filipino maid working in Pok Fu Lam, is one such helpful ambassador. “Ever since I brought my employer’s family a bucket of Jollibee fried chicken on New Year’s, they have regularly asked me to bring some home after my day off,” said Morgado, holding three buckets of the chain’s fried chicken.

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  • Davao chocolate boards AirAsia’s in-flight meals

    Davao chocolate boards AirAsia’s in-flight meals

    Davao City’s renowned chocolate brand will give flavor to a new AirAsia Philippines in-flight meal – an addition to the carrier’s Asian menu.

    On Thursday, April 5, AirAsia Philippines revealed its roasted dalandan chicken with pimiento sauce. While considered a main course, one of the meal’s ingredients is chocolate produced by Malagos Agri-Ventures Corporation.

    “This will put us into the spotlight, and hopefully more and more potential partners would be looking at us,” said Rex Victor Puentespina, sales and marketing head of the firm behind the Malagos Chocolate brand.

    AirAsia Philippines, which tapped Bacolod master chef JP Anglo for the concept, will carry the meal in all of its domestic and international flights beginning April 12.

    Dexter Comendador, the carrier’s chief executive officer, said they added the meal to their in-flight Santan menu to bring in social entrepreneurs “who all value a strong, innovative service culture.”

    The Puentespina family’s firm was recognized in Paris last year for its cacao beans. While the samples they sent to the International Cocoa Awards did not make it to the top 18, it was still a feat for the family who ventured into cacao farming more than a decade ago.

    It also recently hammered a deal with Krispy Kreme for a doughnut product in the region.

    The carrier also announced on Thursday its move to sell handwoven products made by social entrepreneurs from Manila, Davao, and Cebu “on all AirAsia flights across 180 destinations.”

    These include handwoven items by ANTHILL, which sources its items from direct partners in indigenous communities in the Philippines.

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  • Shrinking 7-Eleven Singapore turns to meals

    Shrinking 7-Eleven Singapore turns to meals

    7-Eleven Singapore is preparing to launch a range of ready to eat meals across its 500-strong store network, in what CEO David Goh says is the core pillar of its ‘change in direction’ business plan.

    The Singapore convenience store network, operated by Hong Kong-based Dairy Farm International, has trialled a chicken and rice meal in two stores as the first step in what will eventually be a full scale roll-out of ready to eat foods.

    About 100 stores will get the new range by the end of this month, the remainder by the end of November.

    The company hopes a fresh meals focus will lead a turnaround in the business, which closed about 60 stores over the last two years. Squeezed by the tight labour market and tough new liquor sales laws, the company is searching for new categories to drive growth and restore profitability for franchisees.

    “In the last few years, we have closed more stores than we (have) opened,” Goh said in an interview with Today.

    “This has now stabilised. Having consolidated and redeployed resources, we may be opening as many, if not more, stores than we closed over the next couple of years.”

    Goh said the chicken rice meal was developed after staff searched for and taste tested the best chicken rice dishes in the city. The goal was to create a meal which looked and tasted better than meals available at coffeeshops and hawker centres.

    In Japan, ready to eat meals are a key category in 7-Eleven stores, which sell sushi, noodles and bento boxes to time-poor Japanese consumers.

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