Background
Food waste is a problem faced by Singapore and countries all around the world. Food waste is defined as “the removal of food from the supply chain which is fit for consumption, or which has spoiled or expired, mainly caused by economic behavior, poor management or neglect” (FAO, 2014, 4). As the global population increases, the global food supply will be strained to meet the rising demand. Between 2012 to 2014, 805 million people were chronically undernourished while food is wasted or loss in other areas around the world (Galanakis. M, 2015). While food is scarce in developing regions in the world, food is also being wasted and loss from the food chain in other places such as Singapore.
According to the National Environment Agency (NEA, n.d.), in 2017, food waste accounts for 10% of total waste generated in Singapore, however only 16% of the food waste is recycled . The remainder of food waste which is not recycled will be sent to incineration plants to be incinerated. This process of incinerating food waste can be harmful to the environment as it produces large amounts of carbon emissions. It is beneficial to increase the amount of food waste recycled in Singapore as it would reduce overall carbon emissions.
Regarding the issue of food waste, the main stakeholders would be the government and government agencies as well as businesses related to the food industry. The government is responsible for formulating and implementing policies which will greatly affect the actions taken to reduce food wastage. Such policies can help facilitate the adoption of new technologies for local businesses. The government can also launch campaigns to raise awareness for the management of food waste. Businesses that have a stake in this issue include local food businesses such as hawker centers, food vendors, supermarkets, wet markets and food recycling plants. These businesses are responsible for the management of food waste as it is a important factor to ensuring they have a sustainable business. Food wastage also accounts for the loss in revenue for businesses as food is over ordered or over produced.
The issue of food waste affects all Singaporeans as the vast majority of singaporeans contribute to food waste in Singapore. According to “What a Waste! A Study of Food Wastage Behavior in Singapore” (Grandhi B. & Singh J. A., 2016), it was said that the general public thinks that food waste is not an issue since it is natural and biodegradable. This shows that there is a lack of awareness in Singaporeans about the consequences of massive amounts of food waste. It was also noted that there is a lack of sorting of food waste in singapore. Half of them acknowledged that they could have taken steps to avoid food waste generated from leftovers after a meal, food expiring or becoming spoilt, and throwing away blemished fruits and vegetables.
Hawker centers and wet markets contribute to a portion of the total food waste in Singapore as it is a place where Singaporeans go to have their meals and thus leaving food waste if they do not finish their food. Hawker vendors and market stall owners also contribute to food wastage when the amount of food ingredients prepared exceeds the demand and is thrown away because the food is spoilt or expired.
To tackle the problem of food waste in Singapore, Singaporeans must work towards ensuring food waste is handled in a sustainable manner. Food waste recovery can improve the sustainability of food systems by making full use of the valuable compounds which can be recovered from food waste.
Problem statement
Ideally, food waste generated by local food centers should be thoroughly sorted in preparation for processing to be fully utilized in other means, instead of being disposed of. In 2017, Singapore produced 809,800 tonnes of food waste, while recycling only a mere 16%
Purpose statement
This report aims to tackle the problem of food waste from food centers (hawkers & wet markets) in Singapore by providing a convenient system to sort and utilize food waste generated by food vendors and customers.
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