Food waste is a rampant issue in Singapore, with more than 700 million kilograms of food wasted each year. While measures have been put in place to reduce or recycle food waste and redistribute excess food, there is still much to be done to curb this growing concern.
One such way is by educating more people on the importance of reducing food waste and the different avenues to do so in Singapore. NTU Earthlink endeavoured to do just that with the Insect Feed Tour, an opportunity for the club members to find out how a certain species of insect could solve the prevalent issue of food waste in Singapore.
Held on 23 January 2021, Insect Feed Tour was a collaboration with Insect Feed Technologies, a farm that raises black soldier flies. During the tour, 25 participants were able to find out how these flies were raised and how they are able to contribute to the fight against food waste in Singapore.
The usage of black soldier flies is one of the most innovative solutions to food waste, as it is completely organic, environmentally friendly, and sustainable. Black Soldier flies are chosen for their cleanliness, ease of growth, and most importantly, ability to consume food waste at an extremely fast level, up to 7 times their body weight a day.
Both Earthlink and Insect Feed Technologies believed the sharing was successful, as positive feedback was received from the participants, and are looking towards more collaboration in the future.
The opportunity to interact with employees of Insect Feed who are passionate about food security, as well as learning about the black soldier flies and what they can do, was enjoyable. There should be more publicity for this innovative solution across schools, so more can be done about the food waste issue in Singapore. Shawn Low, Participant
About EarthLink NTU
EarthLink is the largest student-led environmental club in NTU that promotes environmental protection and sustainability among students and residents.
The club has 10 dedicated portfolios that are constantly updating its objectives in order to address the ever-changing global climate. A few noteworthy large-scale activities and initiatives are its annual Overseas Community Engagement Programme (OCEP), EcoPromise, Earth Hour, Greenfest, and the most recently Get Woke.
It also organises events that fill up niche areas such as nature-guided walks, where a dedicated portfolio leads participants to various locations around Singapore and exposes them to the diverse flora and fauna existing within the nation.
