Redistributing surplus food from hawkers among MP suggestions to reduce waste

SINGAPORE – Setting up community kitchens that use rescued food to make nutritious meals, rolling out support for food rescue initiatives, and formalising the re-distribution of surplus hawker food were among suggestions to tackle food waste raised by MPs on Sept 9.

They were speaking during a 4½-hour-long debate on a private member’s motion about food resilience tabled by four PAP MPs from the Government Parliamentary Committee for Sustainability and the Environment.

The motion had urged the Government to enhance food resilience and reduce food waste, so as to ensure that Singaporeans will have access to affordable food despite geopolitical uncertainties and climate risks.

During the debate, 12 MPs highlighted their proposals to enhance food resilience in Singapore. Their suggestions ranged from ways to strengthen support for local farms, to initiatives to reduce food waste and efforts that help Singaporeans access affordable food options.

Poh Li San (Sembawang West), who chairs the committee, suggested that rescued fresh food supplies, such as vegetables, eggs and rice, can be used to prepare nutritious and low-cost or even free meals for Singapore’s communities.

She said: “If food charity organisations, catering companies, community partners and community volunteers work together, we can prepare and deliver fresh and hot meals for seniors living alone and low-income families living within our community.”

She added that while it is not possible to control food prices in a free market, such an initiative could help to “substantially lower” food expenses for vulnerable groups, ensuring they will always have access to affordable food.

Meanwhile Workers’ Party’s Fadli Fawzi (Aljunied GRC), PAP’s Valerie Lee (Pasir Ris-Changi GRC) and Lee Hui Ying (Nee Soon GRC) called for more support for logistics, such as refrigerators, to repurpose food that will otherwise be thrown away.

Fadli pointed out that community organisations, non-profits and volunteer groups involved in such work often operate with limited resources and logistical constraints.

Meanwhile, Valerie Lee, who has tracked the efforts of groups such as Food Rescue Sengkang and Fridge Restock Community SG, said rescuers have consistently shared that storage is one of their major challenges.

“Because even if they manage to rescue food today, they need somewhere appropriate to put it while they match it to the communities that need it,” she added.

Separately, Joan Pereira (Tanjong Pagar GRC) urged the Government to work with community partners to re-distribute surplus food from more hawker centres to lower income and elderly residents, particularly those serving mature Housing Board estates with a higher proportion of such groups.

Responding to the buffet of ideas, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment Goh Hanyan said the Government will take suggestions to strengthen support for enterprises, food charities and community initiatives in the food waste space into account as part of the ongoing review of the Zero Waste Masterplan.

In June, the Government announced that the plan to cut down Singapore’s waste was undergoing a review slated for completion in 2027.

Goh said the review will include how Singapore can better support innovative and impactful solutions to reduce food wastage and extract value from food waste.

Lee Hui Ying had also asked if Singapore will make it clearer that food past the quality date-marks can still be safe for consumption.

These refer to “best before” or “best consumed by” dates that indicate when a product will be of best flavour or quality.

In response, Goh said the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) is embarking on a study to assess the safety and feasibility of allowing food that has passed quality-based date-marks to be donated, while maintaining food safety standards.

“This could enable more edible food to be redistributed rather than discarded,” she said, adding that SFA will share more details in 2027.

A spokesperson from the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment said that it has been studying the issue since the enactment of the Good Samaritan Food Donation Act and Food Safety and Security Act.

Since 2026, the SFA has stepped up engagement of businesses to better understand date-marking practices for food sold in Singapore.

Ang Qing is a journalist covering local and international breaking news at The Straits Times, with a focus on the environment, crime, technology and social issues.