Food Wastage in Singapore

Credit: Grant Cornett

Singapore is a tiny island and home to more than 5.7 million people. With only 1% of our land used for agriculture and so many to feed, we import 90% of our food. However, Singapore is the second most food affordable and third most food secure country in 2016 because of her robust government policies. Because food is accessible and affordable, coupled with the fact that production is so far away from home, many Singaporeans lack understanding of the food supply chain. As a result, many do not appreciate the amount of resources and energy invested in their food, and are unaware of the negative implications of food wastage. To address these issues, this blog aims to raise awareness of the amount of food wasted in Singapore, the impact of food wastage, the psychology underlying food wastage, the loopholes in our food supply chain and its implications, and lastly, solutions we can implement to address food wastage.

But before we start, I have a question for you! Imagine you are in a regular supermarket and you see these two baskets of carrots (as shown below). One basket holds pretty carrots, while the other basket holds the uglier ones. In addition, a sign states that carrots from both baskets are of the same quality, encouraging you to purchase the uglier one to prevent them from being thrown away. From which basket would you choose the carrots from?

Credit: Amherst Times