But only 1.3 pct are vegetarians
The Macau Association of Vegetarian Culture has collaborated on a survey with the Macau Research Centre (MRC) and found out that 31 percent of residents have at least one vegetarian meal per week.
The association released the figures in a statement yesterday.
According to the statement, the centre interviewed 313 residents aged 18 or above in June last year.
Just some 1.3 percent of the respondents said they were vegetarians. Of the 1.3 percent, some 55 percent said that they pursue vegetarianism for personal health reasons, 10 percent said they choose it for personal values, while eight percent said it’s for religious reasons. The remainder gave other reasons.
The statement said that according to the respondents, they choose to have vegetarian meals because they believe vegetables are healthier and are less processed than meat, adding that they also believe vegetarian diets are better for digestion and health.
The statement said that locals tend to agree that “humans can obtain adequate protein from plants”, and that “vegetarians and non-vegetarians can be equally healthy”.
The statement also pointed out that around 30 percent of the respondents said that if there were more vegetarian restaurants or options available, it would improve their frequency of having meatless meals.
Some 26 percent of the respondents said they believed that if there were more varieties of vegetarian meals or more methods of cooking meatless meals available, they would consume more vegetarian meals.
The statement also pointed out that 82 percent of the respondents said that they thought that Macau should encourage nurseries, schools, day-care centres, prisons and hospitals to offer vegetarian options on their menus. Also, 84 percent of the respondents agreed that Macau could learn from other regions to encourage the public to make one day of the week a vegetarian day.
Therefore, the association said it hoped that the government and restaurants would offer more vegetarian options and increase the availability of vegetarian diet options. The association said it also hoped that there would be more promotion of vegetarian diets in the public health strategy.
The association has launched a website called “Vegan Map Macau” for residents to easily find the currently 57 vegan restaurants and shops in the city. The statement said the aim of the website was to make it more convenient for residents and tourists alike to locate vegetarian restaurants around the city.
