Joining Forces to Bring Back the Pleasure of Eating

From left to right: Michelle Chan, Bianca Ho, Jackson Lo

There’s an old adage that says, “you are what you eat”, but what happens to those who literally have trouble eating, or specifically, swallowing? Many in Hong Kong do not know how common this condition, dysphagia, is in the community, or the challenges that those living with it and their caregivers may face daily.

It was while Michelle Chan Yin Tung, Bianca Ho Kwan Lam and Jackson Lo Cheuk Yin were studying at the University of Hong Kong that the trio got the idea of providing meals designed for those living with the condition. The result was Mealingful, a company whose mission is to “make every meal meaningful”, by providing appealing and soft meals for those with swallowing difficulties.

Jackson, who studied social work and social administration at HKU, understood the importance of researching the specific social needs and learning from caregivers and workers in the relevant sectors. “The social work placement that I took part in provided great insights into the actual situation in the community. I got the opportunity to understand closely the life of people with swallowing difficulties in elderly homes,” he says.

The resources provided by HKU were also instrumental in helping them get the project up and running, including academic expertise and insights from the Swallowing Research Laboratory, funding from the Social Innovations for Sustainable Communities programme of the Centre of Civil Society and Governance, and incubation and networking support from Enactus.

The team conducted a trial run of their soft-meal Mooncake campaign during the Mid-Autumn festival in 2020.

For Michelle, the project hits close to home. “One of the major reasons for me to start Mealingful was to help my grandma with swallowing difficulties,” she says. When they first started the company, Michelle couldn’t visit her due to COVID restrictions. “But when I was finally allowed in to see her and let her try one of our soft meals, watching her enjoy it was an incredibly special moment and remains one of my greatest achievements, both personally and professionally.”

This emotional connection continues into their other activities, apart from the meal offerings. One of the key issues the team identified early on was the lack of awareness towards dysphagia, as well as the minimal support given to caregivers. So, they concentrated on developing programmes that could support the needs of different audiences and promote soft meals in society. Currently, they regularly host awareness programmes for caregivers, corporations, and schools – from primary schools to universities.

“When I am hosting events, it often feels very personal and intimate,” Bianca notes. “Participants can get very emotional as they talk about the difficulties of providing care to a family member with dysphagia. It is very gratifying to know that our programmes can give caregivers a safe and empowering space to express some of their vulnerabilities and emotions.”

As with any start up, there were also significant hurdles to be faced at the beginning. When they first started, their idea was to deliver soft meals in a hot meal format. “However, we faced significant challenges with production, food safety control, and high logistics costs. These obstacles made the initial model unsustainable,” Jackson recalls. After careful consideration and evaluation, they decided to pivot to a frozen meal format. “This allowed us to strike a balance between shelf life, food safety, and logistics costs. Along the way, our advisors, suppliers, and partners provided invaluable support, offering advice and exploring solutions with us.” he says.

They also had to learn to work with each other to overcome their differences over issues of financing and resources for operating and growing the business. “It often comes down to money, doesn’t it?” says Jackson. “There was a moment when we had to decide whether to accept a six-figure funding offer. While the financial support was tempting, especially since we had relatively limited capital in the beginning, we realised that the terms of the funding could potentially restrict our future development,” he recalls. This led to a heated discussion among the team, as it was not an easy choice to walk away from such a substantial amount.

Ultimately, after thorough evaluation and open communication, they agreed to decline the offer, which Bianca notes may have been the most important lesson learnt. “Supporting each other during this challenging decision strengthened our partnership and commitment to the long-term vision of our business,” she says.

The team would love to collaborate with a major restaurant chain in the future, as their expertise and capacity in large-scale food production could significantly enhance the quality and availability of Mealingful’s soft meals.

Meanwhile, Mealingful will continue to focus on community engagement – educating the public about the importance of soft meals and raising awareness about swallowing difficulties.

“Together, we could ensure that soft meals are accessible to those in need, while also fostering greater understanding and empathy within society. Such a partnership would combine strengths, creating both social and practical impact, and allow us to expand our mission of helping elderly people and vulnerable individuals,” says Michelle, adding that, “Ultimately, our aim is to put ourselves out of business! In an ideal world, Mealingful wouldn’t need to exist anymore, because all the needs of this vulnerable group would be fully met by the collective efforts of society.”