Change practices to reduce food waste, urges Masagos [News]

January 11, 2016 by  
Filed under Blog

By Neo Chai Chin, TODAY, 10 Jan 2016

In calling food waste one of the biggest streams of waste here, Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Masagos Zulkifli said all stakeholders have a role to play in managing this.

Some practices such as the culture of excess at banquets must change, “without totally changing the way we live as a community in Singapore”, he told reporters after the SGfuture dialogue “Moving Towards a Zero Waste Nation: Food Waste” led by his ministry today (Jan 10).

Reducing food waste is a way for households to save money, and Singaporeans should not take the amount of food available here for granted, he added.

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Source: TODAY

Singapore needs to rethink food wastage: Masagos [News]

January 11, 2016 by  
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By Liyana Othman, Channel NewsAsia, 10 Jan 2016

There is a need to rethink how to reduce, reuse and recycle food waste amid an increase over the years, said Minister for Environment and Water Resources Masagos Zulkifli on Sunday (Jan 10).

In 2014, Singapore generated around 790,000 tonnes of food waste, equivalent to two bowls of food per person each day. Only 13 per cent of that amount was recycled.

Over the past 10 years, the amount of food waste Singapore generates has increased by about 48 per cent, and the number is set to increase as the country continues to grow in terms of population and affluence.

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Source: Channel NewsAsia

More food outlets looking to reduce waste during festive season [News]

December 28, 2015 by  
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By Olivia Siong, Channel NewsAsia, 27 Dec 2015

During the festive season, food waste is expected to go up by about 10 to 20 per cent, according to the non-governmental organisation Zero Waste. Some organisations have been looking tackle the problem.

The increased waste comes from preparing more food during the festive season.

“I think if you organise a party during the festive season you might cook too much or order too much food,” explained Mr Eugene Tay, executive director of Zero Waste. “For F&B companies during the festive season, they might anticipate more crowd or customers, so they might prepare or cook more food.”

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Source: Channel NewsAsia

Saving Money The Biggest Motivation For Households To Reduce Food Wastage: NEA & AVA Survey [Press Release]

November 23, 2015 by  
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Singapore, 20 November 2015 – A survey commissioned by the National Environment Agency (NEA) and Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) has revealed that saving money is the biggest motivation that will drive Singapore consumers to reduce food wastage, while concern for the environment came a close second.

2 The survey was commissioned in September 2014 to better understand the main reasons behind food wastage in households and identify triggers for change. After the survey was conducted, a focus group discussion was also carried out in July 2015, to gain further insights into the underlying perceptions, attitudes and habits of Singapore consumers with regard to food wastage. Read more

NEA to launch campaign to get people to cut food waste [News]

November 21, 2015 by  
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By Loke Kok Fai, Channel NewsAsia, 20 Nov 2015

The National Environment Agency (NEA) is launching a campaign next week to get people to cut food waste.

This comes on the back of a study by NEA and the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) which showed that many people in Singapore are not comfortable with wasting food. However, the study also found that the biggest reason Singaporeans choose to cut down food waste is not to save the environment, but the pocket.

In 2014, consumers threw away 687,200 tonnes of food.

According to the study, eight in 10 respondents felt bothered about throwing away uneaten food, while 90 per cent of them felt that it was a waste of money. Concern for the environment “came a close second”, said NEA and AVA.

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Source: Channel NewsAsia

Food Waste Habits of Households in Singapore

October 16, 2015 by  
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The 2015 Electrolux Food Waste At Home Survey revealed the food waste habits of households in Singapore. The survey was conducted by Electrolux based on 1,000 respondents from 18-65 years old.

Some of the key findings show that:

77% of Singaporeans regularly waste food at home, with almost a third refusing to eat leftovers.

41% of Singaporeans only think about food waste occasionally despite households contributing to the 788,600 tonnes of food waste generated in Singapore each year.

The top five reasons why food is wasted at homes:

  1. Preparing too much food / taking too much food on your plate (51%)
  2. Forgotten about food: out-of-date food at the back of their fridge because they just can’t see it (48%)
  3. Catering for fussy eaters (31%)
  4. Households not liking leftovers (23%)
  5. Rarely eating together as a family (11%)

The most common items thrown away each week:

  1. Cooked rice (51%)
  2. Vegetables/salad (49%)
  3. Cooked meat/fish (45%)

The survey was timed to kickstart #happyplatesg, a six-week community initiative to raise awareness of food waste in Singapore, one plate at a time. Through this, Electrolux intends to rally the help of Singaporeans to support at least 1,000 local families in need through the campaign’s beneficiary, The Food Bank Singapore.

happyplateSG

Source and image credit: Electrolux Asia Pacific

How do you solve a problem like food waste?

October 14, 2015 by  
Filed under Blog

This article is contributed by Jean Chua.

Here are the staggering statistics: As much as one-third of food produced globally for our dining tables is lost or wasted, according to the World Bank.

Developing countries lose an average of 120 to 220 kilogrammes of food per person per year, which means that even those in regions ridden with malnutrition, such as South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa, lose as many as 400 to 500 kilocalories per person, every day.

No matter how you look at it, that’s a lot of grub simply being thrown away. Food waste – when produce makes it to the end of the supply chain but doesn’t get eaten – is a huge problem that contributes to billions of tonnes of greenhouse gases (the chief culprit behind global warming) and needlessly consumes precious land and water resources. Read more

How Much Food Do You Waste In Singapore?

October 13, 2015 by  
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The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) celebrates World Food Day each year on 16 October. This year, we would like to remember World Food Day by spreading awareness and action on food waste reduction.

Together with Helpling, an online platform that connects you to cleaners, we have created this infographic to show you how much food we waste in Singapore.

How much food do you waste in Singapore

Now that you understand how much food we waste in Singapore, the next step is for you to play a part in reducing food waste in your daily life and at home. Simply follow the 8 tips below and start reducing food waste!

1) Learn About Food Sources

Learn about where your food comes from and understand how farmers toil to produce your food. This would help you better appreciate the food you eat and thus waste less food.

2) Grow Your Own Food

Grow your own food in Singapore to better appreciate your food and waste less. This would also help to reduce the food wastage during transportation and storage, the resources spent, and carbon emissions generated from importing food.

3) Plan What To Buy

Before you go shopping for food, plan what to buy using a shopping list. This would help you avoid buying more food than you need.

4) Store And Handle Food Properly

Store and handle your food properly at home to help you keep food longer without spoilage, and thus reduce food wastage.

5) Cook And Order Just Enough

Choose the right food portions and cook just enough food. Also order just enough food, thus avoiding food waste and saving money.

6) Cook Your Leftover Food

Keep and cook your leftover food instead of throwing them away, thus helping to reduce food wastage at home.

7) Start Food Composting

Try composting your fruit and vegetable scraps at home or in the community garden, and produce compost for gardening.

8) Make Garbage Enzyme

Make garbage enzyme from your fruit and vegetable scraps, and use it for cleaning purposes.

Finally, sign the pledge to Save Food Cut Waste in Singapore, and share this post with your friends and encourage them to reduce food waste together!

Infographic credit: Helpling

NEA calls for tender for collecting, transporting food waste [News]

August 25, 2015 by  
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By Channel NewsAsia, 24 Aug 2015

The National Environment Agency (NEA) on Monday (Aug 24) called a tender to collect and transport food waste to a facility for treatment, as part of a pilot project.

The appointed organisations will collect segregated food waste from areas such as the Clementi region and send it to a facility at Ulu Pandan Water Reclamation Plant. The places where food waste will be collected from include Ngee Ann Polytechnic, National University of Singapore, Pasir Panjang Wholesale Centre and Kranji Camp, said NEA.

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Source: Channel NewsAsia

Most people here concerned about food waste: Poll [News]

August 12, 2015 by  
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By Feng Zengkun, The Straits Times, 11 Aug 2015

Nine out of 10 people here are concerned about Singapore’s food waste, a new survey has found.

The majority also want food and beverage (F&B) companies here to donate their unsold and near-expiry food that is safe to eat to the needy or sell it at a discount.

Students from the National University of Singapore’s Chua Thian Poh Community Leadership Programme, working with new non-profit group Zero Waste SG, conducted the online survey from February to April this year.

Click here to read the full article

Source: The Straits Times via Wildsingapore

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