Chen Hui Li, Koh Jin Qi, Sarah Koh En Hui, Yong Jin Hao Brandon, Liu Yutong
Academic Advisor: Mr. N Sivasothi
In Singapore, food waste comprises of the highest portion of solid waste composition (Bai, 2000). A component of food waste is “ugly food”, or food which is deemed unattractive and thus “not saleable” (de Hooge et al., 2018). For ugly food to be redirected from food waste, it must be accessible to potential consumers. Here, we seek to persuade online grocers to sell ugly food to improve its accessibility and convenience. We first participated in an SGFoodRescue rescue event, to gain insights into the wasteful disposal of fruits and vegetables in Singapore. With high volume and affordability, we directed efforts at approaching major online grocers such as Redmart and NTUC. This did not elicit a response, while amongst small grocers, only UnPackt responded initially. We concluded that interest in the viability of ugly food consumption first requires a boost, so we compiled a video of undergraduate responses towards ugly food through blind taste tests and interviews. With this video, we will revisit the issue with online grocers, environmental activists and sustainability-centred social media accounts to boost consideration of the issue.
Keywords: Culture and Lifestyle Trends, Responsible Consumption, Food Waste, Ugly food, Food