The food waste community program in Singapore started in 2015 with the #happyplateSG campaign and continued with “Ugly is the new good” in 2016. The project supports the Food Bank Singapore.
This year’s campaign encourages people to post a photo of an expired, or soon to be expired, food or leftover item in their home, and share what they can do with it on social media, with the hashtags #SeasonYourEx and
#HappyPlateSG.
For every five hashtags and/or social media shares, Electrolux will fund the costs of running the Food Bank Singapore’s van for a day. The van collects donated food items from collection points across Singapore and distributes them to beneficiaries. The target this year is to fund the van’s operational costs for a year.
Societal value
The project aims to educate consumers that, in certain circumstances, some food items can still be safe for consumption after the expiration. The ultimate goal is to reduce food waste, as around US$170 worth of food and beverages are thrown out by each household in Singapore every year.
Achievements
- In 2016: 4,340 hashtags/shares.
- Chef Eric Low created 10 recipes that specifically utilize some of the more common leftover items in households.
- Information on existing misconceptions surrounding the different terms on food labels, as well as
suggestions for smarter grocery shopping, is available on happyplate.sg.
Next steps
Electrolux employees in Singapore can participate in this initiative by signing up for a half-day voluntary session at the Food Bank Singapore to assist with the sorting of donated food items in the nonprofit’s warehouse.
