Food wastage is one of society’s worrying issues1. Over 1.3 billion tons of food is wasted each year and more than 800 million people are suffering from the lack of available food1. In Singapore, the battle to combat food waste is an on-going feat2.
According to the National Environment Agency (NEA), food waste represents approximately ten per cent of the overall waste generated in the Lion City3. However, only 16 per cent of wasted food gets recycled2. In a study conducted by NEA, results revealed that the average Singaporean home discards almost 2.5 kilograms (5.5 pounds) of food per week3.
Similarly, supermarkets in Singapore also have high food wastage2. For example, Mustafa Centre, a 24-hour hypermart in Singapore, disposes approximately 100 kilograms (0.1 ton) of perishable goods daily6. This triggered deep concerns as the food wastage figure is forecasted to increase alongside Singapore’s rising population5.
Supermarkets in Singapore have implemented several strategies to assist in mitigating this burgeoning issue6. For instance, supermarkets can look into reorganizing their back-end systems. By reinforcing sensible purchasing policies and structuring proper inventory management systems, this would prevent supermarkets from over-ordering6.
A popular promotional strategy implemented by supermarkets includes decreasing the prices for perishable items which are nearing their expiration dates. According to FairPrice, the giant supermarket chain has managed to save 675,000 kilograms (675 ton) of fruits and vegetables across its 145 stores in 20174,5. For other items that are non-merchantable, FairPrice donates them to Food from the Heart (FFTH), amounting to SG$25,000 (US$18,143) monthly4,5.
To incentivise employees in decreasing food waste, Ryan’s Grocery, an organic supermarket in Singapore, issues employee discounts and distributes items to drivers for their own consumption4. The grocery also displays a cart of goods nearing expiration dates and enables customers to pick any of those items without a cost. However, customers will have to donate at least a dollar in exchange to the charity supported by the grocery, which is the Association for Persons with Special Needs6.
Vegetables are discarded almost daily
References:
- The Straits Times. (2018). Chefs, food producers and scientists tackle issue of food waste. [online] Available at: https://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/food/chefs-in-singapore-tackle-issue-of-food-waste
- National Environment Agency. (2018). Food waste management. [online] Available at: https://www.nea.gov.sg/our-services/waste-management/3r-programmes-and-resources/food-waste-management
- The Straits Times. (2017). 2.5kg of food a week wasted by each household, equal to half of all household waste: NEA study. [online] Available at: https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/25kg-of-food-a-week-wasted-by-each-household-equal-to-half-of-all-household-waste-nea
- The Straits Times. (2018).How supermarkets fight food waste in Singapore. [online] Available at: https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/how-supermarkets-fight-food-waste-in-singapore
- Channel NewsAsia. (2017). NTUC FairPrice reduced food wastage by 48,000kg in 2016. [online] Available at: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/ntuc-fairprice-reduced-food-wastage-by-48-000kg-in-2016-8753954
- The New Paper. (2018). How supermarkets fight food waste in Singapore. [online] Available at: https://www.tnp.sg/news/singapore/how-supermarkets-fight-food-waste-singapore