Ugly Food Waste – G01.3
Joseph Joju, Liu Zhaoyu, Man Gurshaaran Kaur
Food wastage has always been a problem worldwide but what we have come to realise is that Ugly Food is being wasted unnecessarily. Due to cosmetic reasons, imperfect fruits and vegetables do not reach the hands of customers and even if they do, consumers are afraid of how they look ‘abnormal’. Our team aims to tackle this problem at the consumer level, changing their mindset and showing them that these fruits and vegetables are perfectly edible although physically imperfect. By doing so, there will be a cascading effect on the supply chain, where the different middlemen would be more willing to not throw these fruits and vegetables away as there is consumer demand for it. We have done this by reaching out to a local farm in Singapore and working with them on a campaign.
Academic Advisor: Dr. Chua Siew Chin
Industry Advisor: Sodexo
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Biogas Digester – G09.2
Edward Low Zhen Yu, Goh Kai Rong, Henry Lee Yit Loong, Lim Ting Hui, Tan Yong Jun
Food waste has become a prevalent topic of sustainability, having caused high levels of economic and environmental damage. Food waste occurs when edible food is intentionally discarded by consumers after they fail to plan their meals properly and store food till it spoils or goes past the expiry date. The biogas digestion machine was widely used in other countries such as the United States, India and Israel, as part of their local sustainability programs the concept was hardly known nor utilized in Singapore. Hence, We provide a solution to the increasing amounts of food waste in Singapore, by building a low cost Biogas Digestion machine. This machine could be installed within households to recycle food waste into usable biogas that could be used for cooking.
Academic Advisor: Prof. Adekunle Adeyeye
Industry Advisor: Sodexo
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Fridgeventory: App to Reduce Refrigerator Food Waste in Households – G09.3
Chew Xin Yi, Mancie Lim, Ng Rui Xin, Elen, Tan Wei Liang, Tan Yoke Boon
Food waste is a growing concern in Singapore. In fact, food from households amounting to 200 million dollars is wasted annually. In addition, based on a survey by NEA, one of the top two reasons for household food waste is due to forgotten refrigerated food. Hence, we propose a phone app which comprises of five different features, which aim to specifically reduce refrigerator food waste in households. After conducting pilot tests using a prototype app, we gathered data on the perceived effectiveness and likelihood of usage of each individual feature through our survey. Furthermore, we conducted an interview with a senior representative from Cold Storage to gain insights about the food industry and to validate the feasibility of our app. With the favourable responses and feedback gathered, we have created a working and marketable Android app.
Academic Advisor: Prof. Adekunle Adeyeye
Industry Advisor: Sodexo
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Want Not, Waste Not – G13.3
Brandon Gwee Jin Ern, Kay Chan Yun Wen, Sulaiman Azim B Mohamad Daud, Yong Pei Si, Beatrice, Zhu Shiyao
Want Not, Waste Not is a project focused on establishing the causal relationship between aggressive marketing in supermarkets and food waste amongst Singaporeans aged 19 to 25 years old. Through researching extensive literature and our methodology, a positive association between products that are aggressively marketed, and products subsequently wasted by consumers is apparent. Our project aims to reduce the wastage of food by educating the consumers about aggressive marketing and its link to food waste in hopes that they don’t fall prey to these strategies. Through a simulation pilot study, we evaluated the effectiveness of our methods; gauging our respondent’s response to aggressive marketing techniques after implementing our education campaign.
Academic Advisor: Dr. Chua Siew Chin
Industry Advisor: Sodexo
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A Price on Ugly – G16.1
Heng Zhang Min, Lee Si Xian, Rupanshi Chugh, Toh Huang En, Yeo Ying De
Whenever we go shopping for groceries, we place enormous amounts of emphasis on the appearance of food products, completely neglecting ugly fruits and vegetables, as though they are not nutritious. This behaviour is not only observed in consumers, but even food importers who reject food based on appearances. Our project examines the current state of ugly produce in Singapore and attempts to understand the general perceptions of wholesalers and consumers towards them. Through the use of surveys, observational studies and interviews, we aim to investigate the perceptions of Singaporean wholesalers and consumers towards ugly produce, as well as the possible effectiveness of pricing to influence consumers’ purchasing habits. From our study, we question the assumption that ugly fruits and vegetables are present in Singapore and emphasise that “ugly” is a highly subjective concept.
Academic Advisor: Dr. Chua Siew Chin
Industry Advisor: Sodexo
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Lettucebesustainable – G16.2
Chee Yun Ting, Cheryl Lee Xue Leng, Lin Xuan Ting, Neha Saini
While the most recent Nielsen survey said that consumers in APAC were more willing to pay for a sustainable good/service as compared to those in North America and Europe, it is debatable if the willingness translates into actual buying by consumers, especially in Singapore. We conducted a study on whether students are willingness to pay a higher cost for sustainable as well as healthier menu options. Sustainable food options, could be low carbon, such as more plant based or reducing frequency of animal protein intake, supporting animal welfare, locally grown or raised, certified sustainable, and at the same time provide a well-balanced nutritional intake.
Academic Advisor: Dr. Chua Siew Chin
Industry Advisor: Sodexo
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Eat Well Live Well: Student willingness to shift to sustainable food options – G18.2
Anana Nandakumar Chari, Cheng Yifan, Lim Zi Lin, Tan Xinpei, Tang Kai Qi
Getting millenials to adopt sustainable food options, in spite of higher costs, is possible (Gibbs A, 2016). Our project tested this finding in NUS Residential Colleges, with our target audience being RVRC residents. Using a combined methodology of an online survey, a pilot test and an awareness campaign for adopting sustainable food options, we evaluated if consumers’ perceptions and behaviours coincide.
Our awareness campaign included digital posters and WhatsApp reminders. Survey results ranked cost and taste of food over sustainability. We also found that between ‘health of food’ and ‘taste and cost of food’, the latter was more valued. This matched the perception survey results. However, the results of our pilot test conducted at the RVRC dining hall by offering sustainable menu options indicated otherwise. This contradiction could be due to many external factors. Our project provides some valuable insight about attitudes of students with regards to sustainable eating but it cannot be considered conclusive. We recommend a more extensive pilot test to obtain more meaningful results.
Academic Advisor: Ms. Sadaf Ansari
Industry Advisor: Sodexo
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Reducing Single-use Disposables in RVRC Dining Hall – G20.2
Lai Ying Xian, Prasha Maithani, Tjiu Karuna Bakti Sudarsono, Wee Li Shuen
Plastic pollution currently poses a serious threat to our natural environments, flora and fauna. A major contributor to this pollution are food service operations, even on tertiary education campuses. In this project, we investigated the reduction in the use of plastic bags used in RVRC dining hall by loaning out lunch boxes. The number of lunchboxes needed was estimated based on a survey conducted and data from the dining hall collected over a period of 6 months. The Lunchbox Rental Programme (LBRP) was executed from 5th to 9th March, and 12th March, between 8 -10:30 am. We found that lunchboxes rental did not effectively reduce plastic bag usage and inconvenience was the primary reason. We concluded that the habit of a convenient lifestyle is accountable for the excessive consumption of single-use plastic disposables. As a future consideration, the convenience that the proposed solution entails should be analysed before its launch.
Academic Advisor: Mr. N Sivasothi
Industry Advisor: Sodexo