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Speech by Mr Eric Chua, Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Social and Family Development and Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth, at the Second Reading of the Good Samaritan Food Donation Bill

Type: Official Speeches (All), Official Speeches: Eric Chua, Parliamentary Questions

Topic(s): Financial Assistance & Social Support, Other Updates

Published on 07 August 2024

  1. Mr Speaker, I would first like to thank Mr Louis Ng and his team, for tabling the Private Member's Bill and for bringing this important issue to the fore.
  2. In my speech, I will touch on three areas: one, how the work of food charities in Singapore fits with our social compact; two, how the Bill will support their work; and finally, how, as a society, we can join hands across Government, community and businesses to support more intentional giving.
  3.  Food support organisations play an important role in our society. They are a positive model of how community partners with families and the Government and exemplify our "many helping hands" approach.
  4.  In Singapore, we encourage self-reliance and family support. Individuals do their best for themselves and their families and families provide the first line of support.
  5.  The next layer of support is a caring community, comprising neighbours, community organisations and other partners, including corporates. Members of the community, like our food support organisations, contribute their time, resources and expertise and help create opportunities for those they help.
  6.  The Government helps to create conditions and opportunities for Singaporeans to provide a better life for themselves and their loved ones. On occasion, some families fall on hard times for a variety of reasons and the Government steps in to provide support, in essence, provide a social safety net to help them regain stability and self-reliance.
  7.  Thus, food charities do not work alone, but alongside many others who seek to help individuals and families in need.
  8.  There are many food charities in Singapore. Together, they provide a wide range of food support, such as cooking and delivering hot meals, distributing dry rations, setting up community shops, as well as providing digital credits that allow beneficiaries to select the food that best meets their dietary requirements.
  9.  Food charities complement the Government's support, by offering additional aid and expanding the range of choices for families in need. Their efforts go a long way in helping to alleviate the burdens of these families.
  10.  Not many people see their work. They are often unsung heroes, operating behind the scenes. Many food charities and their dedicated volunteers work tirelessly around the clock, including at night and in the wee hours of the morning. They collect donated food, prepare and repack them for their beneficiaries and help prepare cooked meals. Many also work closely with social services to identify needy families and make plans for supporting them, in line with their needs.
  11.  I have had the privilege of leading the Charity Food Workgroup, or CFWG, over the past four years. The CFWG was first formed in 2019 and today comprises 15 private and public stakeholders, such as food charities, Government organisations and corporate partners.
  12. Our goal is to bring partners within the food donation ecosystem together so that we can harness our collective strengths to practise "good giving and giving right". We have done this by: (a) helping those in need identify and receive food support; (b) reducing duplication of food support and reducing food wastage through better coordination; and (c) encouraging better giving through a shared emphasis on providing food support that meets beneficiaries' dietary needs and in a way that gives beneficiaries greater choice and dignity.
  13.  The CFWG's work is beneficiary-centric and largely driven by the food charities which are the key enablers of these efforts. The workgroup has also risen to the occasion during difficult times. During the Circuit Breaker, the work of many food charities was disrupted, with many unable to operate. Recognising that there was higher demand for food support then, CFWG members rallied together and developed a central repository of food support beneficiaries' data. This enabled charities that were still able to operate to take over to provide support to those who needed help.
  14.  Today, that initiative has led to the establishment of a FoodConnect Database. Launched in 2022, the FoodConnect database provides food charities with a consolidated view of food support received by a household, thus facilitating better coordination and avoiding duplication. And we continue to encourage more food charities to come on board the database.
  15.  We have also launched a FoodConnect Directory that enables families to access food charities according to where they live and their dietary requirements. This has helped families more easily find food support that best meets their needs. The Directory has become more comprehensive over time. Today, it includes food charities offering halal, non-halal and vegetarian food support options in all service regions in Singapore.
  16.  The introduction of the Good Samaritan Food Donation, or GSFD, Bill is a significant step forward to bolster efforts in the food support space. The Bill reflects the collective efforts of stakeholders in the food donation space who have come together to think about how to incentivise food donation and reduce food wastage in Singapore.
  17.  We welcome the protections conferred by the Bill, as more donors can confidently participate in food donation and less food will go to waste. Through our food charities and food support organisations stepping in to organise these donations, more food can be given to those in need. And Organisations organisations can also benefit from the assurance that there are legislative protections in place, as they carry out their work. I hope that, collectively, these measures will help encourage greater community giving while, at the same time, reducing food wastage. 
  18. MSF supports the spirit of the Bill.
  19.  With the GSFD Bill, we can look forward to an increase in the quantity and variety of donated food, as more businesses and individuals are encouraged to donate. My hope is that this will lead to greater choice and dignity for beneficiaries of food support, who will be better placed to get food support that best meets their needs and preferences.
  20.  With this Bill, I encourage food donors who are considering stepping forward to also work with food charities to understand the needs of food support recipients and donate in ways that provide greater choice, including healthier food options. We also encourage donors and food charities to work with CFWG and, together, we can address the community's needs more effectively.
  21.  Mr Speaker, in my past four years of involvement in this space, I have had the distinct privilege of seeing firsthand how giving has evolved over time. For our beneficiaries to have the option of choice is not simply or merely about preferences. I have a four-year-old boy at home,. Soso, I know for young children, having a choice over food options not only helps them feel like they have some control over their lives, but learning to decide is also a key part of growing up. And yet, for others, being able to choose the food that they eat comes from a position of need. For diabetic patients, for instance, white rice and sugar, items that are often found in standard ration packs, would be of little help for them.
  22.  And That that is why I have been so deeply inspired by the many big hearts that have been involved in this space, working hard to evolve our giving models, so that we do not just give but, more importantly, give better. And for that, I salute all who have been, and will continue, to be hard at work in our food charities. Sir, I support the Bill.