Wednesday, March 7
Jeff Hackman, Jacki Langlois, & Tim Stock – Presiding Fellows
The IALP Class of 2018 started its second day with comfortable weather: a light breeze with a bit of fog greeted us in the morning as the group boarded the bus to Hong Kong’s Vegetable Marketing Organization (V.M.O.). Upon arriving we were greeted by the marketing manager Kenneth Ka Ho Law, who has worked for the organization for 14 years.
The V.M.O. Operates a wholesale vegetable market at Chung Sha Wan, and provides vegetable wholesalers and buyers with trading facilities, accounting, pesticide residue testing as well as other premium services.
The group then went on to tour a state of the art hydroponics facility. This facility was the first of its kind and has been so successful that numerous other facilities have been developed across the city as to provide a more sustainable food source for communities within Hong Kong.
Next, the group then toured a premier grocery store within a high-end shopping center. The City Super demonstrated the multiple options of exclusive food offerings and how the upper class chooses to spend disposable income. From there, the group toured a wet market, which was a more traditional means of shopping for fresh meat, fish, and produce from local vendors. The wet market also provided a means for fresh meals, as you could select your food and then have it prepared for immediate consumption in the restaurant upstairs.
To end the day, the group took a brief tour of the shipping port on the way to the airport. The port of Hong Kong is the 6th largest in the world and continues to be an important means of imports from the US today.
The group then flew off to Hanoi, Vietnam to continue its international journey!
