If there are countless healthy food options in Singapore, we are always on the lookout for new concepts – This week, we test out the latest meal delivery service in town, Faba Food, and their plant-based recipes. Did they manage to combine flavours, vegan products and sustainability? It’s time to find out.
What is Faba? How does it work, and how is it different from its competitors?
Sean and Alex, two entrepreneurs with a strong background in food manufacturing and retail, had the goal to make food delivery more sustainable through better delivery practices and lower carbon footprint food.
They created Faba in 2021, and aimed to combine sustainability with (in their own words): taste, nutrition, affordability, convenience and an ever-growing appetite for plant-based food. And based on our experience, they have done pretty well:
Taste – The team has experience with food, and it shows – the recipes are well crafted and much closer to comfort food than diet meals. It’s hearty; it’s filling; it’s flavourful.
Nutrition – Whilst most brands on the market focus on a specific diet or trend (keto, low calorie, low GI.. ), Faba food focuses more on offering balanced meals.
Each meal contains around 500kcal and 20g of protein – but some recipes are richer in carbs and fats.
They might not be the best option for weight loss strictly speaking, but they are balanced enough to fit a healthy and active lifestyle.
Affordability – with 6meal bundles priced at $88 ( slightly less than $15 a meal + a 10% discount if you sign up for more than a week), using Faba is cheaper than getting individual meals delivered from Grab or Food Panda. It is, however, slightly more expensive than some other meal subscription services, as most work with bigger bundles.
Convenience – Ordering from the website is a hassle-free process – one can either get the pre-made bundle made of all six recipes currently available or customise their order and choose the recipes they like the most.
The food is prepared and frozen in their kitchen on the East of the island and delivered twice a week by dedicated Faba drivers.
The meals arrive at your doorstep in a well-designed box – layered with insulation sheets, it can stay up to 8 hours outside without compromising the quality of its content.
Plant-based – Faba meals are 100% vegan (they contain no animal or animal-derived ingredients) – which is a first in Singapore. Interestingly, the brand doesn’t use processed meat substitutes or “fake meats” and instead chooses to emphasise naturally high-protein ingredients. 
Lastly, sustainability is a big part of Faba’s promise and what we enjoyed the most about the service.
Whilst many brands only use sustainability as a marketing point, Faba embedded this value into their concept.
They focus on keeping a low carbon footprint, sourcing ingredients locally and eliminating meat & dairy.
The delivery system only runs a couple of days a week, and each box contains six meals (vs one for the usual food delivery services)
Lastly, it is worth noting that not only customers can recycle the boxes, but the insulation sheets inside are made with recycled clothes and can also be kept and reused.
But most importantly, is the food good?
We got a chance to try out all of the six options currently available – the team is working on adding more by the end of the summer, and we’d be curious to test these too.
Note: All meals are individual portions, 400g and around 500kcal each
Our favourite meal was probably the Smoky Chili Bowl. With great texture and flavours, It is also the lowest in calories and the highest in protein (24g/portion). The Chickpea and Eggplant tagine was also a winner – creative flavours and the perfect amount of spice.
The Maca Greens and Rigatoni Bolognese are on the more traditional side – but we particularly enjoyed the almond parm on the latest, and the new dimension it brings to a classic.
The Tofu Tikka Masala was incredibly flavourful, but we would have loved more vegetables to make the most of the delicious sauce.
Finally, although very tasty, the Chipotle Burrito Bowl was too heavy on the carbs to our liking, but it is easy to imagine brunch lovers loving it.
The ingredients’ freshness is remarkable, and all recipes were perfectly seasoned, which is rare for frozen meals. More than anything, we enjoyed the convenience of it – for a whole week, there was no need to cook after work – only take out one of the boxes from the freezer, pierce the film and put it straight into the microwave for 8 minutes.
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Last thoughts
Far from the old stereotypes around vegetarian food, Faba food is ideal for vegans & vegetarians and meat eaters who want to make small changes toward a more sustainable lifestyle.
It might not be the best option if you are actively trying to lose weight, but if you are trying to make healthier choices (and save time) while still eating delicious food daily, Faba is resolutely worth a try.
