Reducing food waste requires an overhaul in the food supply chain, with surpluses donated or sold at a discount, or having food that may otherwise end up in bins reintroduced as useful by-products, a new study by Singapore Environment Council (SEC) and consultancy firm Deloitte Singapore suggested.
It also recommended infrastructural changes to monitor the freshness of the food supply.
In his speech at an SEC event, Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Masagos Zulkifli added that Singapore’s first Zero Waste Masterplan will be launched later this week.
The Republic produces less than 10% of its food needs locally, and has to import 2 million tonnes of fresh produce each year.
The study, however, found that one-fifth of total food in Singapore – or 393,000 tonnes – is lost and wasted in the food supply chain.
Of this, around 342,000 tonnes of wastage takes place in Singapore, the study found.
To combat wastage, one of SEC’s key recommendations is for people to consume more locally grown food.
To this end, the Singapore Food Agency has introduced a slew of initiatives to boost local farming capabilities. They include an Agriculture Productivity Fund, which farmers can tap to modernise and harness technologies and advanced farming systems.
But the latest study also highlighted the importance of educating consumers on the food waste issue, and how to tackle it at their end.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change‘s special report on climate change and land had zoomed in on how human and climate drivers were threatening food security, and that tackling food waste could reduce pressure on agricultural resources.
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Source: The Straits Times, 28 August 2019