‘Firms donating food should be supported’: Charities, social enterprises back draft Bill aimed at reducing food waste

• Advocates of zero food waste and charities are backing an MP's plan for a law designed to encourage food donations
• Many companies now prefer to dispose of food nearing its expiry date rather than risk liability, even if it is still safe to eat
• Advocates of waste reduction said that a Good Samaritan Food Donation Bill could alleviate concerns and boost donations to feed the needy
• Social enterprises and charities support this, seeing it as a step forward in tackling food waste and hunger
• If tabled and passed, such a law could standardise donation practices and have a significant impact on food distribution to people in need

Many companies prefer to play it safe when looking to dispose of food nearing its expiry date but is still safe to eat, by sending it for non-human uses such as fertiliser.

Even though these companies are keen to cut food waste, they do not wish to bear the risk of sending surplus food to charities, for example, in case people eating the food fall ill.

This was what advocates of food waste reduction told TODAY.

Charities here are also worried about the risks involved in providing such food to needy low-income groups they are helping, they said.

Both the advocates and charities here expressed their support for a proposed Bill that aims to take away some of these risks to boost donations and enable the safe and responsible use of food that currently goes uneaten.

The proposed law, if passed, would shield food donors from legal repercussions if certain conditions are met.

Up to half of the food that is now discarded for other uses may then be redirected for safe human consumption, they added.

Social enterprise D2L.sg, which is engaged by firms as a one-stop food surplus and waste manager, gave the example of a company with a batch of drinks expiring in a week.

Such a company might prefer to see the drinks go into a machine known as a digester, where they would be converted into digester outputs like waste water.

Ms Lin Qinghui, founder of D2L.sg, said that besides these concerns, charities have also tended to be cautious over food safety concerns.

“The food may be just before the expiry date, and it can still be served for human consumption," she added. 

“But based on experience, many charities are not able to accept it because of their internal standards for food safety. They mostly accept food with a longer time-frame till expiry,” she told TODAY. 

However, if the proposed Good Samaritan Food Donation Bill is tabled in Parliament and passed, Ms Lin said she is hopeful that at least 50 per cent of the food recovered by the social enterprise would go to filling more bellies. 

Last Thursday (April 4), Mr Louis Ng, Member of Parliament for the Nee Soon Group Representation Constituency (GRC), announced his plans to introduce a new Private Member’s Bill to address liability concerns by businesses, especially hotels and restaurants, to encourage more food donations. 

The Bill, set to be tabled in the second half of this year, is designed to waive civil or criminal liabilities that may arise from death and personal injuries caused by food from donors. 

If such a waiver is legislated, it is expected to boost food donations significantly, effectively tackling food wastage that has worsened in recent years. 

Ms Lin illustrated how the Bill could have a positive impact by saying that now, for every 100kg of food recovered, all of it would go for non-human uses. 

“But if the Bill is passed, 50kg of it will go to charities feeding the poor because clients do not need to fear potential repercussions, and I think it would be an improvement.” 

Mr Leonard Shee, founder of social enterprise MoNo Singapore, another advocate of reduced food waste, echoed Ms Lin’s sentiments, saying that companies “genuinely” donating things to reduce waste "should be supported".  

“Every manufacturer, brand owner, and importer we work with is worried about liability. Out of 1,000 people, you just need one person to complain, and that will affect the entire brand and company," he added.

“These companies are genuinely giving us things that they can still sell, so they shouldn’t be held liable as they’re doing it for the environment."

MoNo Singapore has a two-pronged approach to reducing food waste – redistributing food items at its Chinatown space with a "pay as you wish" model and holding community outreach programmes to send food to those living in rental flats. 

TODAY has reached out to some 20 hotels and buffet restaurants seeking their feedback on the soon-to-be-proposed law, but most declined to comment or did not reply. 

One hotel, which declined to respond on the record, said on background that it foresees challenges related to cost and logistics, especially with the integration of these protocols into round-the-clock hotel and food service operations.

"It may be prudent to adopt a watch-and-see approach as hotels and food outlets step up their efforts to comply with stringent hygiene and safety protocols."

NOT ABOUT GIVING LESS SAFE FOOD TO LOW-INCOME GROUPS

Likewise, the food charities that spoke to TODAY stressed the importance of such a proposed law, saying it would allow them to salvage more food from donors to feed the needy. 

Mr Nicholas Ng, founder of Food Bank Singapore, said that there are many other concerns to tackle to manage Singapore’s food waste effectively, but legislation is a step in the right direction. 

He added that such a new law would also standardise what is safe and acceptable food, and how it should be donated. 

“This Bill does not say that we are allowing less safe food to be donated to low-income people. Common sense still applies when receiving donations in kind or food donations, always check before consumption.” 

Mr Robin Lee, chief executive officer of charity Food from the Heart, said that his team has encountered food manufacturers that are hesitant to donate due to liability concerns and prefer to dispose of excess inventory. 

“We engage food manufacturers to receive donations of overstocked or soon-to-expire items because relying on supermarkets alone isn’t sufficient. 

“So this Bill is important for charities like ours, so we can get more food to support the needy,” he told TODAY. 

Mr Lee added that the charity now aids more than 60,000 people through five programmes, which focus on non-perishable items such as canned food, rice and cooking oil. 

Asked if a new law regulating food donation would give the charity confidence in expanding its efforts to perishable items, he said: “While we don’t have immediate plans to expand, we remain committed to our ongoing efforts.” 

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