By creating healthy alternatives to Filipino favourites, co-founder and CEO of WTH Foods Stephen Co proves how science and innovation are best showcased through food
Stephen Co, the co-founder and CEO of WTH Foods, is passionate about gastronomy. He applied his adeptness at science and innovation to his passion by founding a company that rides on the current demands for healthy eating. Under his helm, WTH Foods has created plant-based alternatives to traditional, well-loved foods such as sisig and longganisa to convince fellow Filipinos that eating well is living well.
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In 2020, my co-founders and I created Worth the Health or WTH Foods at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. We are a plant-based alternative protein startup to help feed 10 billion people by 2050 with delicious, nutritious, convenient and sustainable plant-based protein creations. We spent most of 2019 researching local plant-based proteins, which we can turn into plant-based meats. Again, we looked to our farmers for local, sustainable ingredients, such as mung beans, jackfruit, coconut oil and seaweed.
I see the trend of eating healthier and more sustainably continuing in the coming years. We want to be at the forefront of this trend, if not leading the charge. Health is the biggest driver to shift to a more plant-based diet and lifestyle. Plant-based diets are zero cholesterol and high in fibre, vitamins and minerals. Contrast this to the diet of the modern urban Filipino, which is high in cholesterol and saturated fats and low in fibre, vitamins and minerals. This leads to many nutrition-related diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer and diabetes, which are the top causes of death among Filipinos.
If we continue to consume protein the way we do, we will have to kill a trillion animal lives per year to feed 10 billion people on Earth by 2050. Moreover, animal agriculture contributes 16.5 per cent of total GHG emissions and significantly contributes to global warming. Shifting to a more plant-based diet will extend this planet’s life.
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