Save the Earth and Feed the Needy - Clean Plate Campaign

744,000 tonnes of food was wasted in Singapore in 2019. That’s the weight of 9,300 regular-sized aeroplanes, or every person throwing away 2 bowls of rice daily.

Why reduce food waste?

To many, these statistics are just numbers. After all, why does it matter that we waste the food that we paid for?

The answer is manifold; it takes resources to grow food – space, water, energy, time and an ideal mix of conditions have to be set up for even a single grain of rice to end up on our plate. These resources are finite and can be exhausted.

This is especially relevant to land-scarce Singapore, where we are heavily dependent on food imports to survive. While the food landscape is evolving for Singapore to be more self-sustaining, we need to close the gap on both ends by growing more and wasting less. Food waste also takes up space, and Singapore’s only landfill Semakau Island is forecasted to be completely filled up by 2035.

Not only does food waste in landfills take up space, it also produces methane gas, a harmful greenhouse gas that has heat-trapping properties that are more than 20x more lethal than carbon dioxide.

Reducing Food Waste with the Clean Plate Campaign

With its roots in Primary Schools, the Clean Plate Campaign started out as a two-pronged approach that shared about the ills of food waste during school assembly talks and challenged students to finish their food during recess time.

Food from the Heart volunteer checking a student's plate during recess time

This year, Food from the Heart continues to spread the anti-food waste message in schools by providing training materials to teachers and rewarding students for finishing their food. The campaign’s fundraising element that raises $1 for every clean plate that is counted is an especially relevant one during COVID-19 as the world, and especially the needy, struggle to cope with the impact of the pandemic.

With this year’s Clean Plate Campaign, Food from the Heart calls for solidarity among the community to be mindful of food as the precious resource it is, and in doing so, raise funds for the needy. 

How much do you know about food waste? If you learned something from this article and support our Clean Plate Campaign, Share it with a friend on social media!