Food waste reduction an issue of values, behavioural change

We thank the Voices writers who provided useful feedback to reduce food wastage. (“S’pore should do more to cut down on food wastage”, March 22; “Consider converting food waste into compost”, March 26; “Not-so-fresh produce should be sold at discount” and “Culture of sharing can minimise food wastage”, March 27)

This is fundamentally an issue of values and behavioural change. The Government has engaged stakeholders such as food manufacturers, hawkers, hotel operators, retailers and non-government organisations to better understand factors contributing to wastage.

There are existing measures to support wastage reduction, such as the 3R Fund administered by the National Environment Agency (NEA), which subsidises organisations’ food waste reduction and recycling projects.

We are studying other initiatives, such as developing guidelines on unsold food and for food waste management. The writers have also suggested some of these initiatives.

As many of the letters have pointed out, all stakeholders, from businesses to consumers, have a part to play in minimising wastage. Consumers should moderate their purchases, to avoid having to discard excess food products.

To raise awareness of the need to reduce food wastage, the NEA and the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority are looking into developing a comprehensive public education outreach programme targeted at schools, community and retailers, especially to moderate the way we consume food.