The amount of food waste generated in Singapore has risen by about 20 per cent over the past 10 years and is expected to increase with the growing population and economic activity. Yet only 18 per cent of the total food waste was recycled last year, according to the NEA. But things are changing as more Singaporeans and local companies are becoming more environmentally conscious. The Sunday Times, in partnership with DBS Bank, gets to the bottom of upcycling, as Judith Tan and Vanessa Liu check out how four groups have added value to food waste.
Food waste is one of the biggest waste streams in Singapore. While the authorities look at how to convert food waste into high value products that can give back to the economy, various groups have taken steps to upcycle food waste.
Big future in tiny insects
The humble black soldier fly, with its voracious appetite as larva, is being harnessed to eat discarded food and create rich nutrients for plants and animals.
This ubiquitous and harmless insect is being put to good use in the valorisation of food waste, which otherwise has negative value as it cannot be recycled, says co-founder and chief marketing officer of Insectta Chua Kai-Ning, 25.
"Food waste is a big problem in Singapore. In fact, we have one of the highest per capita rates of food waste in our region. The power of black soldier flies is their ability to upcycle food waste by eating it and converting it into valuable bio-materials," she adds.
Insectta is the first urban insect farm in Singapore to rear black soldier flies to process food waste and turn fly frass into organic food for plants and its larvae for animals.
The biotech company develops high-value, insect-derived biomaterials, such as chitosan, for both the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. Research by Insectta found that biochemicals extracted from the larvae can be used to produce chitosan.
"By harnessing these flies to transform organic matter into valuable resources, we have increased the value of the food waste - where it once was a negative-value product - to a positive-value product that is worth a few hundred dollars a gram," Ms Chua says.
The global chitosan market is valued at US$7 billion (S$9.34 billion) and is expected to expand by 25 per cent between 2020 and 2030.
"Chitosan is a very potent wound-healing agent that can be used in bandages, sutures and anti-microbial coatings. Other than that, it can be used as a moisturiser for your face. Imagine - insect-derived cosmetics. Chitosan is also known to be a supplement used to lower cholesterol levels in the blood," she adds.
Insectta's research and development team is working with the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*Star) to yield multiple other high-value biomaterials from the flies.
Pretty ugly food
Produce deemed too unsightly for sale, boxes containing excess vegetable, and baskets of over-ripe bananas and papaya are destined for the bins every day.
Co-founder of UglyFood Yeo Pei Shan, 25, found this not only wasteful but so sad that she had to do something about it.
Together with her friends, she set up her social initiative in 2016 to buy, at discounts, edible produce that would have been thrown away by wholesalers and retailers.
Ms Yeo started UglyFood while she was a student at the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD).
"We use the blemished fruit to produce juices, soy milkshakes and popsicles. We also repurpose it by cutting it up for the acai bowls that we serve in our cafe."
Cutting up a pear, Ms Yeo shows how the blemishes on the skin are not on the flesh inside, which is white.
"The blemish is only skin deep and does not affect the pear, which is still safe to consume," she says.
"Surplus produce tends to be in better condition and have a higher shelf life, so we resell it as fresh produce both at our online and in the physical store," she adds.
The UglyFood cafe and store is located on the grounds of SUTD.
UglyFood also asks customers to donate used plastic boxes that are still in good condition and can be used to repack the loose fruit.
"We may not be plastic-free but we try to avoid single-use plastics," she says.
Digesting food waste in just 24 hours
Sitting in the bin centre of the JTC Aviation 2 @ Seletar Aerospace Park is a machine that is constantly hungry.
One of the smallest digesters in the stable of Westcom, a company that develops and produces equipment and products in food waste and other technology, it can transform 50kg of unconsumed food into 5kg of organic fertiliser in just 24 hours.
Westcom's largest digester can process more than 1,000kg of food waste in the same amount of time.
The company was set up in 2016 by entrepreneur David Tan to reduce and recycle food waste.
He imported 10 such machines from Japan, only to find that Japanese micro organisms could not effectively decompose local foods such as curry and hotpot meals, which are higher in oil and salt than Japanese food.
"This current technology is co-developed by A*Star and Westcom Singapore typically for local food waste. The micro organisms in the machine help to recycle food waste into odourless organic fertiliser," says Ms Ruby Fang, 29, vice-president of business development at Westcom Singapore.
The microbial treatment breaks down food waste, including bones, dough and even sugar cane safely and effectively, helping Westcom capture a slice of the global food waste processing market worth an estimated US$31.7 billion.
"We collect both cooked and uncooked food waste such as vegetables, eggshells and rice. The unique advantage of this technology is the low operating temperature. We are using about 30 deg C to recycle food waste, which can save up to 100 per cent of energy," she adds.
A spokesman for JTC says the corporation has tried out several models of food waste digesters since 2016, and finally settled on the West Com version last year, which now produces fertiliser that JTC uses in its estates.
Other sites where Westcom's digesters are located include JTC Pandan Loop Industrial Estate, Jurong-Clementi Town Council, Khoo Teck Puat Hospital and One North.
The digesters use the food waste that comes from the canteens, cafes, hospital kitchen, and supermarket located in these areas.
Growing veggies on fish poop
Nestled behind a coffeeshop in Tampines Industrial Park A is a community garden "powered" by a high-tech aquaponics system that converts fish waste from a tilapia pond into organic nutrients.
These nutrients are used to fatten organic vegetables such as xiao bai cai, kale, cherry tomatoes, winter melon, curry leaves and chilli padi.
"The idea of a community garden came about from a group of tenants who are passionate about gardening and keen to do something for the community, so I proposed one within the industrial estate," says Ms Catherine Koh, 51, president of the Tampines Small and Medium Enterprise Association.
Besides using recycled materials to build the 185.8 sq m garden, JTC also introduced the group to Metro Farm, a commercial organic smart farming firm which conducts research and development on smart aquaponics farming systems.
The company sponsored about $30,000 to build a custom vertical smart aquaponics farming system for the group, and trains volunteers on how to plant and harvest vegetables using it.
The system comprises a fish tank, a filter system and an area where the vegetables grow.
Director of Metro Farm Chris Toh, 39, says it is a close-loop, self-sustaining system.
"The waste in the water goes through the filter and is broken down by beneficial bacteria," he says.
"The vegetables then absorb the nutrients, purifying the water, which is pumped back to the fish."
The system also uses cameras, sensors and artificial intelligence to monitor and automate processes such as adjustments to the levels of the PH, temperature and nutrients.
Mr Toh explains that the red tilapia was chosen because "they have a higher rate of producing waste compared to the other breeds of fish".
"They are kept in the system for up to six months - from fingerling to table size of 600g - before we sell them to restaurants and zi char stalls," Mr Toh says.
Ms Koh says: "The community benefits from the vegetable harvest, which is sold for the upkeep of the system and to pay for fish food. A portion of the proceeds is donated to the needy."
Tips for festive celebrations
•Prepare just enough: Make a shopping list, buy only what you need, and cater for between 10 and 15 per cent fewer than the number of expected guests.
•Think before you give: Pick food gifts that you know the recipient would enjoy, but avoid getting highly perishable items such as fruit and dairy products.
•Go small: People usually prefer drinking and socialising to eating a heavy meal during this festive season, so provide smaller plates to reduce the amount of food left on them.
•Freeze your leftovers in small portions: Divide leftovers into smaller portions and pack them into labelled airtight containers before freezing them. This makes foods freeze faster and reduces the need to thaw more than you need. You can also save some cash when you have them for lunch at work.
•Give away excess food from your hamper. You are not going to need everything in the hamper you have received, so why not share - or better still, donate the excess non-perishables?
The elderly man reportedly fell in the shower, and he and his wife are believed to have been electrocuted when she rushed in to assist him.
Their son, who went to visit them, is understood to have been electrocuted too when he tried to revive them.
It is dangerous to touch someone who has been electrocuted, said experts.
Associate Professor See Kye Yak of the Nanyang Technological University's School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering said the person who has been electrocuted would be carrying a high voltage.
"Anyone who is in physical contact with him directly without any insulation will get electrocuted too, especially if the victim's body is wet, which lowers its resistance to electricity."
One should use an insulating object, such as something wooden or plastic, to push the victim away from the contact point with the live electrical source, Prof See added.
He said: "If there are rubber shoes, the person who helps the victim should wear them to be protected from electrocution."
Meanwhile, Associate Professor Liang Yung Chii of the National University of Singapore's engineering faculty said that in instances of electric shock, the circuit breaker which detects the leakage current would usually trip and the electrical supply will be interrupted.
However, if the circuit breaker does not detect the leakage current and does not trip, the electricity supply may still be on.
Prof Liang said: "In this case, someone needs to switch off the main electrical supply by turning off the circuit breaker manually. After that, check the person's health situation, apply cardiopulmonary resuscitation if necessary and call an ambulance if needed."
876 tested in Tekka Centre community screening, 2 were positive for Covid-19: MOH
SINGAPORE - Two people tested positive for Covid-19, of the 876 stallholders in and around Tekka Centre who went for community surveillance testing on Thursday (Nov 26).
Both the cases picked up from surveillance testing are likely to be past infections, as indicated by their serological test results, said the Ministry of Health (MOH) on Sunday (Nov 29) night.
The remaining 874 individuals tested negative for the coronavirus.
The second of the two patients was confirmed positive on Friday (Nov 27), and announced by MOH on Sunday.
The man, a 41-year-old Indian national, is a work permit holder who works as a warehouse assistant.
He was asymptomatic, and taken to the National Centre for Infectious Diseases when his test came back positive on Friday.
His work involves stocktaking at warehouses located at Cuff Road, and delivering goods to Jothi Store and Flower Shop in 1 Campbell Lane, said MOH, which added that he does not interact with customers at the store.
MOH also said he usually works with a warehouse assistant at the warehouses, who was also swabbed on Thursday and tested negative for Covid-19.
Two other migrant workers who stay with the man at Cuff Road also tested negative, said MOH.
Seven imported cases were also announced on Sunday, bringing Singapore's total to 58,213.
Among them, one is a long-term visit pass holder who arrived from Russia, while another is a student's pass holder who arrived from India.
Another three are work permit holders who arrived from Indonesia.
The remaining cases are short-term visit pass holders.
One is a 39-year-old Ivory Coast national who arrived from Malta. The male engineer arrived here on a work project.
The other short-term pass holder is a 58-year-old male Belarus national, who arrived from Belarus to participate in a mixed martial arts sporting event as a cornerman.
MOH said all seven had been placed on stay-home notices or were isolated upon arrival in Singapore, and were tested while in quarantine.
Meanwhile, the ministry added a new location to a list of places visited by Covid-19 patients while they were infectious.
A NTUC FairPrice outlet in 301 Yishun Avenue 2 was visited by an infectious patient between 8.50pm and 9.55pm on Nov 21, said MOH.
MOH provides the list of locations that infectious Covid-19 patients visited for at least 30 minutes and the times they visited them to get people who were at those places at the same time to monitor their health closely for two weeks from the date of their visit.
The full list of locations and times can be found on the gov.sg website.
There were no cases from within dormitories on Sunday - the 19th consecutive day. The last such patient was reported on Nov 10.
MOH said that overall, the number of new cases in the community has remained low, with a total of three unlinked cases in the past week.
With five cases discharged on Sunday, 58,109 patients have fully recovered from the disease.
A total of 31 patients remain in hospital, with none in intensive care, while 29 are recuperating in community facilities.
Singapore has had 29 deaths from Covid-19 complications, while 15 who tested positive have died of other causes.
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876 tested in Tekka Centre community screening, 2 were positive for Covid-19: MOH
SINGAPORE - Two people tested positive for Covid-19, of the 876 stallholders in and around Tekka Centre who went for community surveillance testing on Thursday (Nov 26).
Both the cases picked up from surveillance testing are likely to be past infections, as indicated by their serological test results, said the Ministry of Health (MOH) on Sunday (Nov 29) night.
The remaining 874 individuals tested negative for the coronavirus.
The second of the two patients was confirmed positive on Friday (Nov 27), and announced by MOH on Sunday.
The man, a 41-year-old Indian national, is a work permit holder who works as a warehouse assistant.
He was asymptomatic, and taken to the National Centre for Infectious Diseases when his test came back positive on Friday.
His work involves stocktaking at warehouses located at Cuff Road, and delivering goods to Jothi Store and Flower Shop in 1 Campbell Lane, said MOH, which added that he does not interact with customers at the store.
MOH also said he usually works with a warehouse assistant at the warehouses, who was also swabbed on Thursday and tested negative for Covid-19.
Two other migrant workers who stay with the man at Cuff Road also tested negative, said MOH.
Seven imported cases were also announced on Sunday, bringing Singapore's total to 58,213.
Among them, one is a long-term visit pass holder who arrived from Russia, while another is a student's pass holder who arrived from India.
Another three are work permit holders who arrived from Indonesia.
The remaining cases are short-term visit pass holders.
One is a 39-year-old Ivory Coast national who arrived from Malta. The male engineer arrived here on a work project.
The other short-term pass holder is a 58-year-old male Belarus national, who arrived from Belarus to participate in a mixed martial arts sporting event as a cornerman.
MOH said all seven had been placed on stay-home notices or were isolated upon arrival in Singapore, and were tested while in quarantine.
Meanwhile, the ministry added a new location to a list of places visited by Covid-19 patients while they were infectious.
A NTUC FairPrice outlet in 301 Yishun Avenue 2 was visited by an infectious patient between 8.50pm and 9.55pm on Nov 21, said MOH.
MOH provides the list of locations that infectious Covid-19 patients visited for at least 30 minutes and the times they visited them to get people who were at those places at the same time to monitor their health closely for two weeks from the date of their visit.
The full list of locations and times can be found on the gov.sg website.
There were no cases from within dormitories on Sunday - the 19th consecutive day. The last such patient was reported on Nov 10.
MOH said that overall, the number of new cases in the community has remained low, with a total of three unlinked cases in the past week.
With five cases discharged on Sunday, 58,109 patients have fully recovered from the disease.
A total of 31 patients remain in hospital, with none in intensive care, while 29 are recuperating in community facilities.
Singapore has had 29 deaths from Covid-19 complications, while 15 who tested positive have died of other causes.
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More Covid-19 cases may emerge from Seoul Garden family dinner but a major cluster unlikely: Experts
SINGAPORE - More infections could emerge after a 32-year-old man who had dinner with 12 family members tested positive for Covid-19, but with contact tracing and other measures, there is a good chance this will not lead to a major cluster, experts said.
On Thursday night, the Ministry of Health (MOH) reported Singapore's first community case in more than two weeks - a Singaporean marine service engineer who tested positive four days after a family dinner last Saturday at Seoul Garden in Tampines Mall. He went to see a doctor after coming down with a fever and sore throat.
The group occupied three tables and there was mingling, despite rules that state no more than five diners per group.
Professor Dale Fisher, senior consultant at the division of infectious diseases at the National University Hospital, told The Straits Times: "It is quite possible that he may have passed it on and there will be a second generation of cases - a small cluster. But provided those contacts are quarantined when diagnosed, then the transmission chain will stop there.
"It is a credit to Singapore's enhanced surveillance that it was picked up. This gives us the best chance to stop further spread early."
Professor Teo Yik Ying, dean of the National University of Singapore's Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, said: "I am not particularly concerned that this single case will suddenly result in a large outbreak within the community since contact tracing will identify anyone that has been exposed and these people will be quarantined and tested."
Even if the man goes on to infect others in his networks, the present protocols around contact tracing will be able to halt the transmission chain, he noted.
Prof Teo said: "Remember that we have had community cases since February, and the protocols have worked well to handle any emerging clusters."
Still, the incident is a stark reminder that safe distancing and other measures must be taken seriously, the experts stressed.
Associate Professor Alex Cook, vice-dean of research at the same school, said: "If the five-person rule had been adhered to, then rather than 12 family members potentially at risk, only four would be."
Prof Teo said: "Having a stretch of zero community cases does not mean that we can let down our guard. The reality is that the public health measures that have been imposed are meant to serve two purposes. First, to prevent outbreaks in the community, and second, should there be an outbreak, the spread is slowed down sufficiently to allow contact tracing, testing and quarantining to come in to break any chains of transmissions in the community."
Professor Gavin J. Smith, interim director of the emerging infectious diseases programme at the Duke-NUS Medical School, said: "The virus has not been eradicated and we need to be prepared for occasional cases. People sticking to the control measures makes the job of preventing further spread a lot easier."
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Principal of the now-defunct Zeus Education Centre Poh Yuan Nie, 54, and two former tutors - her niece Fiona Poh Min, 33, and Feng Riwen, 28 - were each found guilty of 27 counts of cheating on July 7.
District Judge Chay Yuen Fatt had convicted the trio following a trial. They committed the offences on multiple occasions in October 2016.
On Wednesday, Fiona Poh was sentenced to three years' jail, while Feng was sentenced to two years and four months in jail.
Tan, who used to work at the education centre in Tampines Street 34, had pleaded guilty in April 2018 to 27 cheating charges. The three women are Singaporeans, while Feng is a Chinese national.
The prosecutors had earlier stated in their submissions that Poh Yuan Nie, also known as Pony, was paid $8,000 per student by Mr Dong Xin - another Chinese national - to provide tuition for the youngsters to help them pass the examinations and enter local polytechnics.
Deputy Public Prosecutors Vadivalagan Shanmuga and Cheng Yuxi had told the court that she masterminded the scheme, while her accomplices would "not do anything without going through her".
A few hours before each examination, Fiona Poh, Tan and Feng helped to tape communication devices on the students.
The students then attended the examinations with these devices taped to their bodies, carefully concealed by their clothes.
Tan also took the examinations as a private candidate and used the FaceTime application on her phone to present a live stream of the question papers to the co-accused stationed at the tuition centre.
Her accomplices then worked on the questions streamed to them. After that, Feng and the others called the students to read the answers to them.
Poh Yuan Nie oversaw the entire process, the court heard.
Tan and Fiona Poh reversed their roles for mathematics paper 2 as Tan was better at the subject.
The DPPs had stated that this criminal set-up succeeded for three papers from Oct 19 to 21 in 2016.
But it got exposed on Oct 24 that year when an alert invigilator heard "unusual electronic transmissions and voices" coming from one of the students.
After the examination, the student was taken to an office where he handed over devices, including Bluetooth receivers and an earpiece.
He also came clean about how the ruse was carried out.
The court heard on Wednesday that Poh Yuan Nie and her niece will be appealing against their conviction and sentence. Feng, however, said that he needs to think things over first.
There is still a pending charge of obstructing, preventing, perverting or defeating the course of justice against each one of them.
Multiple cheating charges against Poh Yuan Nie are also still pending.
The pre-trial conference for the trio's pending charges will be held on Oct 15.
For each count of cheating, an offender can be jailed for up to three years and fined.
Why in a cheap food paradise, some Singaporeans are still going hungry
A cleaner unable to work, a family with a 4-room flat, a single dad in debt – those experiencing food insecurity are more diverse than you think. Here's what they're going through, in the first of a 2-part special report.
CNA Insider
(Updated: )
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SINGAPORE: Rice, hot water and salt to taste. Shanger Pannerchelvam remembers a time when these were the only ingredients his family could afford for dinner. He was only 12 years old.
His mother had to stop work as a cleaner at a condominium when artery disease affected her legs. One year later, his father fell into clinical depression and left his fast-food job. Just like that, the family had no breadwinner.
Like most adolescent boys, Shanger had a burgeoning appetite - which a small bowl of porridge was unable to satisfy. "I was full of anger as I ate. I'd think to myself, why must I eat this?" he recalled.
After dinner, he'd go to sleep. "There was nothing I could do about it. I slept so that I wouldn't feel any emotions."
That was his only meal of the day. In the morning, he'd go to school with an empty stomach, fighting hunger pangs through recess because he'd given his S$1 school meal voucher to his 8-year-old brother.
"He had his own coupon but it wasn't enough. He was always hungry also," said Shanger, now 22.
The family of four was given help with the bills, and food rations. But the latter wasn't enough. The brothers resorted to begging for money from strangers after school.
"We'd give the 'poor thing' face, say our Ez-link cards had no money and we couldn't get home," said Shanger.
"We would ask for a dollar each for transport. Then we'd use this to buy a plate of chicken rice to share."
HUNGER IN A FOOD SECURE NATION
A simple dish like chicken rice is also a luxury to 55-year-old Azhar Ibad. It's a S$2 meal he can afford to have only once a week.
The rest of the time, it's instant noodles for the cleaning supervisor, who has been unable to work for a year due to growing weakness in his limbs that doctors suspect might be Parkinson's disease.
While he waits for his ComCare assistance to be renewed, his kitchen cabinet is filled with packets of Maggi, cereal and Milo. "If I feel my stomach full, okay already. No choice," he said. "I eat this to survive."
In a food paradise like Singapore, where cheap eats abound around almost every street corner, why are instant noodles a staple and emblem of resignation for some?
What makes putting food on the table a struggle for them, in a nation ranked No 1 on The Economist Intelligence Unit's Global Food Security Index in December 2019?
There is no national data on the extent of food insecurity in Singapore. But aside from the index (which used gauges like affordability, availability, quality and safety of food), there are at least two other indicative reports.
Some 4.1 per cent of Singaporeans faced moderate to severe food insecurity between 2016 and 2018, according to the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2019 report by the United Nations.
The report took into account both survey responses and country-level data such as food consumption and availability. (By comparison, the figure was 5.4 per cent for South Korea, 8.1 per cent for Indonesia and 13.4 per cent for Australia.)
Locally, a study conducted by the Lien Centre for Social Innovation at the Singapore Management University (SMU) surveyed 236 Singaporeans in four low-income neighbourhoods being served by food support groups. It found that nearly 1 in 5 participants in these areas reported severe food insecurity in 2018.
"It was surprising because in a country like Singapore, where the stereotype is that there is no hunger, we were expecting to find just a handful of people," said SMU associate professor of political science John Donaldson, while stressing that the findings didn't represent Singapore as a whole.
To be severely food insecure means being in the shoes of someone like Shanger – not knowing where your next meal is coming from, having to skip one, or even go an entire day without eating.
But more generally, food insecurity refers to cases like Azhar's: The lack of access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food, due to financial or physical constraints.
In other words, being food secure "is not just about being fed, because you can eat instant noodles every day," said Nichol Ng, co-founder of The Food Bank Singapore. "But that doesn't provide you with the nutrition."
As to why food insecurity exists – 'poverty' is the too-easy answer to give.
Yet, 27 per cent of participants in the Lien centre survey had household incomes of S$2,000 or more. (Eligibility for ComCare assistance cuts off at S$1,900 household income or S$650 per capita income.)
Nor is Singapore short of safety nets for those in need: From Government schemes such as ComCare and the Silver Support Scheme, to the efforts of a plethora of social service agencies, charities, religious organisations, grassroots groups, and community do-gooders.
So why, then, do some fall through the cracks? And who are they?
As CNA Insider discovered – after tracking vulnerable families and individuals over months, and speaking to researchers and assistance groups – those who experience food insecurity are a surprisingly diverse group: One that can't be defined by housing type, family size, age, or income group alone.
WATCH: Hunger in Singapore - the documentary, part 1 (20:08)
BEYOND THE ELDERLY POOR
The elderly poor often spring first to mind as an at-risk group – and not just for the lack of savings or income.
Particularly for those who live alone, sickness, limited mobility and frailty pose a mammoth challenge to the simple act of cooking for themselves. "Some, because of physical or mental health, aren't able to go downstairs and get food, even if it's just a short distance from home," said Sam Ngeow, centre manager of TOUCH Home Care.
Fion Phua, the founder of volunteer group Keeping Hope Alive, recalls in June last year finding a famished 79-year-old man lying on the floor of his one-room flat in Marsiling, too weak to move.
The man – a former security guard who had not been working since April after being injured in a fall – had not eaten in three days, she said. "We had to send him to the hospital."
But, the elderly poor are also high on the list of vulnerable groups that receive attention.
Not only has the Pioneer Generation package made a "real and important difference" in recent years, say many observers, the elderly are also the target of numerous social service agencies, volunteers and NGOs.
The resulting irony is, such seniors can end up over-served by multiple well-meaning groups. Indeed, most the elderly poor whom CNA Insider encountered in various neighbourhoods were receiving food rations or free meals.
The flip side of this, however, is that other food insecure groups whose needs may not be so plain to see, or so simple to ascertain, find themselves falling under the radar.
'HIDDEN' FIGURES
A stay-at-home mother of five, Fay* found herself going on Facebook to look for donors offering milk power or food. She had asked various organisations for help, only to be told: You're not staying in a rental flat.
The 36-year-old and her husband had bought a four-room HDB flat, and after they moved in in April last year, she said, the floors started to crack and there were leaks everywhere - an unsafe situation for her children, aged two to 18.
To pay for the renovations, her husband, a technician, borrowed "a few thousand dollars" from licensed money lenders, a debt they are still now paying off.
"Living in a purchase flat does not explain our daily struggles," she said.
Sometimes I see my friends staying in rental flats, they seem happier. They get more assistance.
The family is currently getting dry food rations from their Family Service Centre.
While the majority of food-insecure participants in the Lien centre study did live in one- and two-room flats, 40 per cent live in three-room flats or bigger. Food assistance groups say that, while rare, they've even encountered those living in condominiums or landed property who needed their aid.
These Singaporeans are overlooked as they are often not eligible for financial aid, observers noted.
To ensure that funds go to those who really need it, ComCare assistance, as well as aid disbursed by some larger welfare organisations, often involves some form of means testing. An applicant's household income, number of household members and flat type are factors that can be taken into account.
But such data doesn't always reveal the whole picture, others say. Sim Bee Hia, chief executive officer of Food From The Heart, has encountered struggling families with a household income of more than S$3,000.
"If you were to do a house visit, you'd see the wife bedridden and fed through a tube, three young children, and a mentally challenged nephew," she said.
The danger in means-testing is that people who genuinely need help will fall through the cracks because they do not fit the criteria in one way or another, said economist Walter Theseira, an associate professor at Singapore University of Social Sciences.
"We often think people who stay in larger flats don't need financial assistance since they could afford a big flat," he said.
But many of them might be just one retrenchment or one serious illness away from a tight financial situation.
FEEDING MORE MOUTHS
For low-income families, the food situation can also get precarious with each new member.
Member of Parliament (MP) Lee Bee Wah, for one, sees more families than elderly residents coming to seek help at her Meet-The-People sessions in Nee Soon South.
These families, who are often already receiving assistance like Workfare, "face difficulty in getting three meals a day especially with the addition of a newborn," she said. "They need to buy more milk powder and pampers, which means less money to put food on the table."
Then, there are the unforeseen medical expenses and costs of transport to go see a doctor when the child falls sick. "These things can be a burden, especially when their income is not stable and when they are daily-rated workers," said the MP.
Food Bank's Nichol receives a number of desperate emails from young families. She recalls one in particular. "A single father with seven children got retrenched.
He wrote, 'My children have not eaten for three days. Can you please bring food?'
Her team promptly delivered three cartons of food. When the man's children saw them, they fell to their knees in tears, she said. "It's really as though they hadn't seen food for days. We started crying too."
Then there's Ansar, who has three children from his first marriage and four from his second.
The 45-year-old works as a security guard, but only part-time as the pain from an old spinal injury gets so unbearable some days that he struggles to leave his two-room rental flat.
Each month, he makes on average S$800, and gets S$200 in cash and S$80 in NTUC FairPrice vouchers from Darul Arqam Singapore. After paying his ex-wife maintenance for their three kids, and buying milk powder and diapers for his two-year-old, he hasn't much left to feed six mouths.
Ansar gets by on one meal a day, chugging water to feel full. The children meanwhile get chicken nuggets, fries, bread and spreads. They receive food support from Food From The Heart, but when desperate, Ansar also turns to groups on Facebook where members donate milk powder or diapers to families in need.
SMU's John Donaldson however, dismisses the stereotype that having many children is what keeps families in food insecurity.
"Often it's people with two or three children, or who have elderly frail parents," he said. In fact, families who are working hard yet still struggle to put food on the table are "much more common" among the food-insecure, than those with a large brood.
THE SINGLE-PARENT STRUGGLE
Even so, many low-income families seem to get along fine in terms of meals, with careful management of their expenses – until they lose a breadwinner.
More than half of the moderately-to-severely food insecure individuals in the Lien centre study were from families headed by single, divorced or widowed parents.
Three years ago, Sam* was embroiled in an emotionally tumultuous divorce. "I suddenly had to take care of my daughter alone," said the 38-year-old. "I was very stressed, but I kept quiet and tried to cope by myself."
It affected his concentration at work as a security guard. For a couple of months, he couldn't report for work. So he borrowed money. The debt repayments snowballed. Before he knew it, there was simply not enough money to feed his daughter and his sister who stays with them.
Then there is Norashikin Mohd, 36, who was a housewife until her husband was jailed for several months. Then she had to start working as a school cleaner for S$600 a month, half of what her husband had made as a canteen stall operator.
"It was quite overwhelming," the mother of four kids, aged 7 to 14, said in Malay. "I was worried that when the kids return from school, there's no one to take care of them."
Norashikin tried to cook each day before leaving for work – a meal, usually of rice and just one dish, to be shared by all over both lunch and dinner. As the Lien centre study noted, food insecurity isn't just caused by cash constraints, but also time constraints which leave little opportunity for shopping or cooking.
Since her husband's release recently, the couple have been working at his canteen stall and they bring home the cooked food leftovers for dinner. Whether it's enough or not, the family of six have grown used to making do.
THE CASE OF THE HUNGRY 8-YEAR-OLD
Learning to 'make do' is what many of the food insecure do out of resignation, and not knowing where to turn for help or not qualifying for it.
One afternoon last September, Fion from Keeping Hope Alive was visiting some elderly residents at a block of rental flats, when an 8-year-old girl came barreling down the corridor.
"She was in her school uniform, her hair was messy," Fion recalled. She had some custard buns left over from lunch, which she offered the girl.
"Her reply was, 'How did you know I am starving?' Her earnestness really caught my attention."
The girl, Katie*, lived in a one-room rental flat which was filthy and, in Fion's view, not a suitable living environment for a child. She had bugs in her hair and no clothes other than the school uniform she was wearing.
Fion wondered, where were her parents?
After getting a hold of Katie's dad on the phone, Fion eventually met him. That's how she got to learn about Sam – the single dad still struggling with the fallout from his divorce.
He got to see his daughter only briefly in the morning before heading out for his 12-hour shift as a security guard. Constantly tired and stressed, he seemed almost defeated by the never-ending cycle of paying off his debt only to borrow more to stay afloat.
Utilities bills went unpaid. On top of all that, he had to deal with his daughter's hyperactive condition. "While I'm at work, her teacher keeps messaging me, 'This is what your daughter did today, please do something about her'," Sam said.
Under all this weight, Fion recognised his dogged determination to be a father. "He is actually very willing to look after her. But he has to work long hours, which takes up all his energy and strength," she said.
Early on, Sam said, he'd tried applying for assistance and described his debt problems. But he was told his salary of S$2,000 a month before CPF deduction was "high".
"They should really see the hours that people work. There are people who find it hard to cope. Instead they just look at the income to determine if we have a problem," he said, frustrated.
The good thing is that during the school term, Katie, who is on financial assistance, gets one meal a day taken care of under the School Meals Programme. Dinner at home usually consists of rice and one dish cooked by her 56-year-old aunt.
When asked if she got hungry, Katie paused for a long time before saying in Mandarin: "It's not like we're super hungry. Aunty and I just go hungry together. Or I'll just drink water."
THE LIFELONG IMPACT OF HUNGER
But hunger isn't just an ache to put up with for the day – or week, or months.
That's because the effects of food insecurity can last a lifetime, even well after life circumstances improve.
When Shanger entered polytechnic, he started to get paid for his internship and for distributing flyers, while his younger brother had his National Service allowance. So regular meals became a thing again for his family.
Shanger no longer eats salted rice for his one meal of the day – quite the other extreme, in fact.
He now eats up to five meals a day, typically consisting of fried rice, chicken rice and fast food – all the food he never got to enjoy as a child.
"The past impacted me a lot because now that I'm able to do what I want, I just can't let go," he said. "I probably will get another illness, from eating too much.
But I told my doctor off; I don't care, because I can finally eat.
The typical diet of a person who is food insecure – processed meals high in carbohydrates and sodium, low on nutritional value – puts them at higher risk of obesity, diabetes, cardiac disease, and other chronic illnesses.
When they get out of food insecurity, the shift to energy-dense foods can lead to high blood sugar levels. And psychological conditioning kicks in: Some like systematically overeat, because of an obsession to not waste food.
The lean years have also left another mark on Shanger. "For four years at least, I skipped breakfast and lunch. That's why I have gastric now," he said. "The stomach-ache is unbearable."
He has to take medication for gastrointestinal disorder, which doctors tell him is for the long haul.
The cost of food insecurity is not just borne by individuals, but in the long run, by the country as well in the form of increased public healthcare spending.
A study by the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has linked food insecurity to higher healthcare expenditures across the US, due to the higher rates of associated chronic illnesses like diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease and depression.
The study's co-author estimates that food insecurity costs the US health system an additional US$53 billion a year.
HUNGER AND THE CYCLE OF POVERTY
Health problems aside, food insecurity exacts another grave cost on low-income families – it could exacerbate the struggle to break out of the poverty cycle.
A child who experiences hunger might fall sick more often, take longer to recover from illness, and suffer from poorer concentration in school, noted Goh Yiting, a senior dietitian at Tan Tock Seng Hospital.
The implications of all this – the inability to focus, more missed days of school – makes it much harder for the child to keep up with school work.
A 2017 US study showed that children who experienced food insecurity in their first five years of life were more likely to be lagging behind in social, emotional and, to some degree, cognitive skills when they began kindergarten. Other research has shown that if children enter kindergarten lagging behind their peers, they tend to stay lagging.
Indeed, The Food Bank's Nichol shared her experience of providing food to a primary school that ran a daily breakfast programme for students from low-income families. By simply providing a well-balanced meal in the morning, the school saw a drastic improvement in the attendance rate, she said.
"I would like young children to eat better so that they can study and focus better. If they can do that, they really have an opportunity to break out from the poverty cycle," she said.
As for food insecure adults, it's been posited that when resources are scarce, it can affect the ability to make decisions or see the bigger picture.
Attention is focused on immediate needs, like what food to put on the table, while the stress of having to worry about this day after day can reduce bandwidth for long-term planning.
Serene Loh, 39, can certainly identify with this.
When we first met her in September 2019, Serene had a budget of just S$10 a day to cook dinner for herself, her husband and her four children. To get the best bang for her buck, she walked to three different supermarkets in the vicinity to compare prices.
"I have to think every day, what can I cook today with the money I have? It's very stressful," she said. She ate only one meal a day herself, so that her children could have more food.
She wanted to get a job to supplement her husband's income as a GrabFood rider, but didn't have the headspace to look for one.
Asked at the time if she would go to the family service centre to renew her application for food rations – which had expired months ago in March 2019 – Serene's face reflected helplessness as she muttered: "I don't know."
"I have to take public transport there, which needs money as well. And it's hard for me to find the time when I have to cook dinner, do housework and take care of kids at home," she said.
BREAKING THE CYCLE
Food From The Heart CEO Bee Hia points out that food support for parents like her doesn't just fill the stomach; it also frees up mental bandwidth.
"Solving the food problem allows our beneficiaries to pay more attention to other things, such as upgrading themselves, paying bills, buying an extra storybook for their children, which are important," she said.
Nor Ain is an example of how a little help can go a long way.
For almost a year, she and her five children had survived mainly on rice, fried eggs in soy sauce and instant noodles.
"My kids would complain, why cannot eat meat? And I would have to explain to them that I didn't have the money," said the 32-year-old who was in the process of a divorce, and was bunking in with a friend.
"I cried every night, thinking about what tomorrow would bring. I really felt like a useless mum."
Things turned around after the Housing Board expedited her application for a two-room rental flat, and Ain finally could focus on finding a stable job, with her social worker's help, instead of part-time work.
What helped take some of the stress off her shoulders was assistance of S$1,070 a month from the Social Service Office (SSO), S$300 from the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS), and food rations from the family service centre.
Now working freelance for a retail start-up, she makes up to S$900 a month, thrice what she used to. "We live happily now. We had a really hard time last year, but things are better now," she said, smiling.
PROBLEMS WITH ASSISTANCE
But does every family in need find assistance easy to get?
First of all, "we often assume that individuals or families will come forward for help," said SUSS' Walter Theseira. "The reality is that many households either don't know about the welfare schemes, so they won't come forward; or they may feel embarrassed about identifying themselves, because of the stigma associated with seeking help."
Several families brought up the hassle of applying for aid at the SSO or bigger welfare organisations. They spoke with frustration of the need to need to fill up multiple forms, and to apply for renewal of assistance every few months with the re-submission of documentation.
"Many people feel that if they have to repeat their story over and over again for the amount of money that they're receiving, it simply isn't worth it," said SMU's John Donaldson.
That has been Serene's experience. Since the first she spoke to CNA Insider, she has secured ComCare assistance through the SSO. But the process, she said, was "very troublesome".
"The officer told me I need to print my CPF statement, but my printer at home has no ink already," she said. "I already don't have enough money to buy food, how to buy printer ink?"
Nor has she renewed her food rations assistance from the family service centre, as she found the need to resubmit documents a hassle.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Social And Family Development (MSF) noted that ComCare short-to-medium term assistance (SMTA) helps those in temporary financial need to take steps towards gaining employment or higher-paying jobs, thus becoming self-reliant.
"Only documents relevant to the change of circumstances are needed during the reapplication. This provides an opportunity for SSO officers to provide timely assistance."
The spokesperson added that efforts have been made to deliver social services in a more "comprehensive, convenient and coordinated manner". For example, ComCare SMTA clients who need help with childcare fees need not submit the same documents for assessment.
But Serene is not the only one to feel put off from trying. Said Theseira: "In Singapore, the route to getting more assistance requires more application, more means testing, and hence more stigmatisation of the individual, compared to some other countries."
Nichol from the Food Bank agrees: "In the US, many food pantries operate on a walk-in basis. There are no questions asked because there is already shame attached to walking into a food pantry to get help."
CAUGHT IN LIMBO
Meanwhile, those on ComCare assistance must apply for renewal every few months, and this can take an average of six weeks to process. That's when folks like Azhar – the 55-year-old who has been medically unfit to work for a year – find themselves in transitory poverty.
He used the last of his S$400 from ComCare and MUIS to stock up on instant noodles and cereal for the wait.
When CNA Insider visited his apartment in September, three months after he'd reapplied for assistance, he had three packets of instant noodles left, while his fridge was barren apart from some eggs that he cooks with the noodles.
"The first month you can eat Maggi. The second month. you can eat. The third month?" he sighed.
SSOs do provide ComCare interim assistance for families that request urgent relief for their immediate needs. This can include those waiting for their SMTA applications to be renewed, said the MSF spokesperson. Azhar did not apply for this.
But, there are also other avenues of quick assistance, for those waiting in limbo.
MP Lee Bee Wah acknowledges the need for national social support schemes to practice "due diligence". And while needy residents wait for their applications to be processed, she has a local welfare fund that can be tapped for immediate help, almost hassle-free.
"Sometimes before the end of the month, whatever the SSO has given them, some families have already spent," she said. So they are given groceries and NTUC FairPrice vouchers to tide them over.
She also helps residents write to the SSO asking for the waiting time to be shortened. Most of the time, the office accedes, she said.
MANY HELPING HANDS
That's not all.
In her Nee Soon South ward, the charity Food From The Heart works with her grassroots team to distribute donated bread and groceries; the Lion's Club delivers fresh vegetables and fish; while the Indian Muslim Social Service Association helps with groceries for Muslim households.
There's also a community fridge that Singapore Food Rescue (and resident gardeners) helps to stock.
At Kampong Glam every day, elderly rental-flat residents and other beneficiaries are served free lunch at a new food hub built for them – a collaboration between MP Denise Phua, PeaceConnect Senior Activity Centre, and Willing Hearts. Nutritious all-day breakfasts could soon follow.
Across Singapore, efforts like these are replicated with many groups stepping up to help – and they have made a definite impact in recent years.
There are some 125 food support organisations with an online presence, according to the Lien centre study, and they range from non-profits and Institutions of a Public Character (IPC), soup kitchens and Meals-On-Wheels providers, to informal ground-up groups.
Started 16 years ago, Food From The Heart for example works with residents' committees, senior activity centres and family service centres – people "on the ground who know who needs help," said Bee Hia.
"We have grown because there's a need – more people are requesting for food," she added.
While it's not clear how many of the 125 groups are actually active or regular in their outreach, they help fill the gaps that the Government's social support network cannot cover. This is in line with MSF's "many helping hands" approach.
"The Government can't do everything for everyone," said former academic Jenson Goh, who as part of a course he once taught at NUS' Residential College 4, had looked at Singapore's food system.
"It looks out for those living with the bare minimum, those really living day to day. For people who fall through the cracks, the NGOs on the ground try to serve them."
These folks include Azhar, who while waiting for his application for assistance to be processed, has been receiving food support from Free Food For All.
And father of one, Sam, had a huge weight lifted off his shoulders when Fion and her volunteers at Keeping Hope Alive helped pay off his debts.
"We helped him so that he can focus his energy on taking care of his daughter and not be bogged down by repayments," Fion said.
They also gave his home a fresh coat of paint and new furniture, while the refrigerator – once stocked with half-eaten junk food – has been transformed into what Fion laughingly calls "a rich person's fridge".
The volunteers keep it stocked with cereal bars and packets of Milo for Katie's breakfast, fruits for snacks, and other groceries which her aunt can use to cook dinner.
"It's better than eating potato chips or gummies when Katie is very hungry," Fion said. "We want her to have strength so that she can concentrate in school."
But the ultimate goal for the volunteers is to help the family become self-reliant. "Sending food can't be a long-term solution," Fion pointed out.
Similarly, Li Woon Churdboonchart believes it's important for beneficiaries to feel a sense of responsibility.
She founded Volunteer Switchboard – a social enterprise which, among other things, makes monthly food deliveries to seniors in rental blocks at Jalan Kukoh. The estate's younger residents who are in need of assistance are themselves encouraged to volunteer with the group, instead of having aid simply handed to them.
Otherwise, Li Woon said: "You're teaching the younger generation that it is okay that you don't go out to work, It's okay that you just keep taking from the public."
BUT STILL MISSING OUT
But here's the rub: Despite the sheer number of food charity groups out there, more than half of the households reported as severely food insecure in the Lien centre study had infrequent or no food support at all. Yet, they all lived in areas that were being served by such groups.
What this highlights are the inefficiencies in this informal food support system, which has been growing rapidly and organically, without any kind of coordination between groups so far. The question is, can this change?
SUSS' Walter Theseira, for one, is skeptical that food assistance should be a long-term solution to food insecurity. Something more fundamental, like a universal basic income, is needed, he believes.
While in some countries distributing rations make sense because food insecurity is a problem of "food deserts" – whole areas where affordable food isn't available – this is not the case in Singapore. Here, he said, "it's a problem of people not having enough income to get the food they want".
The idea of a universal basic income is not without its detractors. There is, however, one other thing all agree on: Food insecurity is a problem that should concern Singapore as a society
"Ensuring no one goes hungry and has access to basic meals is fundamental," said MP Denise Phua. "There is much to do. And I don't believe there will ever be enough paid social workers to address the needs of a rapidly ageing society, and of those who may fall through the cracks because no one was alerted or who do not qualify due to technical reasons.
It will take a village to piece together a strong social safety net – each of us can play our part.
Said Theseira: "Singapore is a very rich and abundant society. And if you feel that you constantly have to make very constrained decisions, there's going to be a long-term effect on your ability to feel like a regular member of society."
"Food insecurity isn't just a problem of nutrition," he added. "It's also a problem of whether people psychologically feel like they're part of society, and whether they fit in."
In Part 2 of CNA Insider's special report: With so much food assistance out there, why are good intentions falling short?