Consumers are called upon to participate in Year Towards Zero Waste efforts by adopting three simple habits that can make a big difference in reducing food waste.

Singapore, 16 February 2019 – According to a consumer study commissioned by the National Environment Agency (NEA), 85 per cent of Singapore residents eat out at least once a week, with about one in 10 respondents stating that they do so every day. Based on observations, carbohydrate items such as rice and noodles are two of the most commonly wasted food items when people eat out. Hence, in addition to encouraging individuals to reduce food waste generated within their households, NEA is launching a new campaign aimed at encouraging consumers to adopt three simple habits to reduce food waste when eating out.

2          Consumers who ate out did so most often at hawker centres, coffee shops and food courts. Some of the reasons cited by respondents for food wastage when eating out were that they found the portions too big and they did not eat some of the ingredients. The consumers interviewed also shared that they tended to buy/order more than they could consume as they wanted variety.

3          Food waste is one of the five largest waste streams generated in Singapore, and the second largest waste stream disposed of for incineration. Thus, there is potential for greater food waste reduction. The campaign, launched today by Dr Amy Khor, Senior Minister of State for the Environment and Water Resources, at Yishun Park Hawker Centre, involves highlighting three key actions that consumers can adopt to reduce food waste. They are:

1. Order only what you can finish 
2. Ask for less rice/noodles if you can’t finish them
3. Say ‘No’ to side dishes you won’t eat

4          Under the campaign, NEA will be engaging consumers at points-of-consumption at 25 hawker centres and premises of partner organisations such as Dairy Farm Singapore, NTUC FairPrice, Prime Supermarket and Sheng Siong Supermarket, and schools and institutions of higher learning. Visual reminders – such as wobblers, table-top stickers, wallscapes and pillar wraps – will provide behavioural cues to remind consumers of the actions they can take to reduce food waste. NEA is working with more partners to display these to encourage shoppers and diners to take simple actions to reduce food waste at their premises.

5          Publicity will be carried on outdoor and digital platforms, and an edutainment web series will be developed that will shadow public personas to discover how they can incorporate food waste reduction practices into their day-to-day lives to inspire viewers to adopt food waste reduction habits.

6          “We have designated 2019 as the Year Towards Zero Waste, to rally everyone to care for our environment and treasure our resources. Singaporeans love their food, yet food waste is the second largest waste stream to be disposed of. There is clearly more we can and should do together. Through this food waste reduction campaign, we hope to get every individual to take a pause before they decide on their food options and choices. We would like to create a pervasive culture where everyone will have an instinct to ‘buy, order and cook just enough’, encourage their friends and family to do the same, and even influence the practices and behaviours at their workplaces towards reducing food waste,” said CEO of NEA, Mr Tan Meng Dui.

Rise in ground-up initiatives to tackle food waste

7          The growing awareness on food waste has led to a proliferation of innovative ideas to tackle food waste, for example, the setting up of community fridges to encourage residents to donate unwanted food products that are still good for consumption, instead of discarding them. At Nee Soon South and Tampines, community fridges have been successfully introduced at void decks by the Nee Soon South and Tampines North Citizens’ Consultative Committees respectively, where residents and community partners can place their food donations into the fridges for people in need to take. Schools have also been enthusiastic in playing their part, with more than 150 schools having organised food waste reduction activities in 2018.

8          Another initiative is Foodscape Collective, a community of enthusiasts working towards creating sustainable and resilient food systems. Some of their initiatives include facilitating the redistribution of excess and yet-to-expire food and composting of kitchen scraps. “Foodscape Collective believes that through the collaborative efforts of society, businesses and the Government, food waste from all parts of our food supply chain can be significantly reduced. This year, Foodscape Collective is registering as a not-for-profit to enable more members to step up and conduct food waste reduction talks and workshops for schools and organisations. We also work closely with local communities to share on and encourage community composting, and connect food waste producers with composting sites that channel compost to home gardeners and community gardens”, said Pui Cuifen, a founding member of Foodscape Collective. Please refer to the Annex for more examples of growing on-the-ground momentum to reduce food waste.

9          To foster more community interest in such projects, NEA has been ramping up engagement efforts, such as through the Food Waste Reduction Ambassadors (FWRAs) programme. To date, more than 400 ambassadors have been trained to help spread the word on food waste reduction with their communities, families and friends.

10        NEA invites organisations and individuals who are interested to implement their own food waste reduction initiatives to collaborate with us under the Food Waste Reduction Outreach Programme. In January 2019, Dr Khor announced the ‘Towards Zero Waste Grant’, which supports individuals, interest groups, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), grassroots organisations and corporations keen on kick-starting zero waste initiatives. Those interested in applying for the grant or collaborating with us can contact NEA for more information.

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For more information, please contact us at 1800-CALL NEA (1800-2255 632) or submit your enquiries electronically via the Online Feedback Form or myENV mobile application.

ANNEX

Examples of ground-up efforts to tackle food waste