Change the World with One Idea

Did you know

About a third of the world's food is lost or wasted each year¹

Up to 10% of global greenhouse emissions is from food waste¹

In 2021, food waste in Singapore amounted to 817,000 tonnes²

As the world’s population expands and environmental pressures increase, the global food waste crisis becomes increasingly dire. This has been further exacerbated by the pandemic that has upended supply chains and negatively impacted food security for many.

Food matters and food wastage, which includes both food loss and food waste, is a huge contributor to climate change. In Singapore, the Zero Waste Masterplan has identified food waste as one of the priority waste streams to be tackled. Last year alone, Singapore generated 817,000 tonnes of food waste, a 23% increase from the previous year, and about half of the food waste generated nationwide is from households.

Should food waste continue to escalate, Singapore will need to build more waste disposal facilities, such as waste-to-energy plants and landfills for incineration ash. When food is wasted, so are all of the resources used to grow and deliver the food to our tables, as well as to dispose of it. This increases the nation’s carbon footprint, contributing to global warming and climate change.

¹Food Waste Index Report 2021
²National Environment Agency

About the Hungry for Change Challenge

DBS Foundation and the National Environment Agency (NEA) launched the inaugural Hungry for Change Challenge to empower our youth to develop and pilot innovative solutions that will prevent and/or reduce food waste in Singapore. The Hungry for Change Challenge is open to current students and recent alumni from the institutes of higher learning in Singapore.

Under the DBS Foundation X NEA Hungry for Change Challenge, the five most innovative and impactful ideas will receive total funding support of up to SGD125,000 from DBS Foundation. The teams will also have opportunities to consult with NEA and benefit from their expertise.

The winning teams are selected after two rounds of evaluation – Qualifying Round and Pitch Day – based on the criteria of Innovation (20%), Financial Feasibility and Scalability (20%), Implementation (30%) and Impact (30%).

Results of the inaugural Challenge

Winners

 

 

 

Following their wins, the teams will embark on the implementation of their six-month pilot programmes with the funding support from DBS Foundation.

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