Data on Unsold Food Discarded by Supermarkets

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang asked the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources (a) whether the Ministry currently collects data on the amount of unsold food discarded by supermarkets every year; and (b) if it does, how much unsold food is discarded and, if it does not, whether it will consider collecting such data.

While my Ministry currently does not collect data on the amount of unsold food disposed of by supermarkets specifically, it tracks the total amount of food waste disposed of in Singapore. This is obtained from waste sampling and disposal data at incineration plants. My Ministry also keeps track of the total amount of food waste recycled which is compiled from the records of food waste recyclers.

Under the mandatory waste reporting requirements, my Ministry collects data on the amount of food waste recycled by large hotels and shopping malls. The mandatory reporting of waste data and waste reduction plans helps build greater awareness among building managers on the potential for waste reduction on their premises.

Over the past 10 years, the amount of food waste generated in Singapore has increased by almost 50% and is expected to rise further with population growth and greater affluence. Besides the effort and energy needed to collect and dispose of it, food waste also contaminates recyclables and gives rise to odour and pest issues if not managed properly. Hence, there is a need to manage food waste in a holistic way in terms of minimisation, redistribution and recycling.

As part of ongoing outreach efforts, my Ministry launched a programme last November to encourage everyone to reduce food wastage. It has also worked with various food retail businesses, including the supermarkets, to encourage consumers not to waste food. In addition, my Ministry is working on good practice guides for food manufacturers, retail establishments and supermarkets to minimise waste across the food supply chain. These include guidelines for the proper handling and redistribution of unsold and excess food to food distribution organisations, such as Food Bank Singapore and Food from the Heart.

My Ministry is also conducting projects to evaluate cost-effective methods for collecting and recycling food waste. On-site food waste recycling machines have been installed at two hawker centres to convert food waste to either water or bio-fertiliser. In a separate project, source-segregated food waste will be collected from multiple premises in Clementi. The collected food waste will be mixed with used water sludge to produce biogas at a pilot facility at the Ulu Pandan Water Reclamation Plant.

With regard to the suggestion to collect food waste data from supermarkets, my Ministry is currently considering enhancing the mandatory waste reporting requirements and extending waste reporting to other premises that generate large amounts of waste, including food waste.