GPC to table motion to reduce food waste, strengthen food resilience through government and ground-up efforts

In Singapore, a refreshed national food resilience strategy, Singapore Food Story 2, was released in late 2025. The government will also review its Zero Waste Masterplan amid a decline in overall recycling rates.

Ms Poh, who will speak about reducing food waste, noted that Singapore generated close to 800,000 tonnes of food waste in 2025, or an average of 128kg per person annually.

Against this context, the GPC will ask the government to consider more ways to ensure Singapore’s food resilience by building up local food production capability and viability, she said.

The GPC will also ask the government to rethink how Singapore’s food import policies and food redistribution ecosystem can be more coordinated so as to systemically reduce food waste.

A good grasp of market demand can help suppliers to plan food imports without excessive waste, while the food rescue ecosystem can get unsold food to people who need it instead of letting it spoil, she said.

While rising daily food expenses are top of mind for many people, upstream improvements need to be discussed so that Singapore has a robust infrastructure in the long run to serve its food needs, Ms Poh added.

Ms Nadia, who will speak about making local food production more resilient, said the motion is also intended to raise public awareness and inspire people to think about and discuss their connection to food.

“If you don’t have that connection to food, if you don’t realise what it takes to get something on our plates from the time of R&D, to production, to transport, to cooking, then I think the wastage will probably just get higher and higher.

“Because you don’t have that sense of stewardship and responsibility,” she said.