1. E~na~~~ of Singapore
Source: The New Paper, p10
Date: 6 July 2013
FORA GOOD
CAUSE: (From left)
The group behind
the food rationing
exercise,Ms Lok Van
lin,MrJoel Chow, Ms
Lydia Quah and Mr
Tan Weilie, with ben-
eficiary Madam lau
Kum Moon (centre),
72.
Ah Ma, what do
you want to eat?
NUS students give needy residents in Lengkok
Bahru food ration options to cut wastage
REPORT and PICTURE: LOK JIAN WEN
jwlok@sph.com.sg
F
OOD wastage is on the rise in Singapore,
with the National Environment Agency re-
cently reporting a record-high 703,200 tonnes
offood wasted last year, which is a 26 per cent rise
since 2007.
But some students are aiming to reduce this
wastage. On July 14, theywill hold a one-offfoodra-
tioning exercise to benefit 335 needy households in
Lengkok Bahru, a neighbourhood near Redhill.
The National University ofSingapore students-
Mr Tan WeiHe, 24, Ms Lok Yan Lin, 22, Ms Lydia
Quah, 21, and their mentor, Mr Joel Chow, 27, came
up with a point redemption system to solve the
problem ofwastage as raised by the Central Singa-
pore CommunityDevelopmentCouncil (CDC).
Rations cards
Each household is given 40 points, which are re-
corded on a rations card, to "purchase" dry rations
and toiletries.
The values of the items range from one to seven
points. For instance, a packet of biscuits is worth
two points and a bottle ofshampoo, six points.
Mr Chow said most beneficiaries are senior citi-
zens who qualify for the Housing Board's Public
Rental Scheme.
They pay rent ranging from $28 to $40 a month,
depending on the number ofrooms in their flat.
This rationing exercise will be a pilotrun to allow
them to choose their food rations, unlike previ-
ously, when various corporate organisations would
pack rations in advance, resulting in wasted food.
MrTan said: "In the past, it was more like a take-
it-or-leave-it situation. Some Muslims would re-
ceive luncheon meat.
"Diabetic patients would also not be able to eat
some sweetened products. These residents would
throwaway the food given."
Mr Chow said! this event can reach out to more
beneficiaries, thanks to the Central CDC's Mayor's
Imagine Fund (MIF), which funds ground-up ini-
tiatives benefiting the community.
Hesaid: "Our main funding comesfrom the MIF.
This allows us to cater for more of the residents.
When ad-hoc corporations provide rations, they
sponsoronlyenough for 150 to 200 people."
Mr Tan said that each of the 335 households is a
registered member of the Silver Ace Senior Activity
Centrein Lengkok Baru.
They onlyneed to register to receive a ration card
to redeem their rations.
Retiree Foong BanFatt, 73, said: "Last time, they
just gave us Milo or biscuits. Icookfor myselfsome-
times, so Ilike to choose my food items."
Mr Tan said the students plan to conduct follow-
up surveys with the beneficiaries and analyse the
datacollected to determine ifthis systemissustain-
able.
Source: The New Paper© Singapore Press Holdings ltd. Permission required for reproduction.