Jamus Lim: Food rescue operations help households in need, change mindsets, and prevent waste

SINGAPORE: Workers’ Party Member of Parliament (WP MP) Jamus Lim (Sengkang GRC) highlighted one of the regular programmes he and his team conduct at Anchorvale, food rescue operations, which are now received by as many as 180 beneficiaries each week.

While the initiative is on pause this week due to Lunar New Year celebrations, Assoc Prof Lim said that last week, the beneficiaries received a bag of goods containing canned and dried food, along with the usual produce that is usually given.

The Sengkang MP emphasised that food rescue operations are not just about benefiting families with additional groceries.

“Rather, they are largely about promoting a mindset that we shouldn’t allow food that can still be consumed go to waste, either because they are past their ‘best before’ dates (but still earlier than their ‘use by’ ones), or because certain leaves or skins may look wilted or bruised,” he wrote, thanking the organizations that donated to the endeavor, such as The Food Bank Singapore, Sharing Passion, Fridge Restock, and the Pasir Panjang Wholesale Center.

In 2024, Assoc Prof Lim made a speech in support of the Good Samaritan Food Donation Bill, which was passed that August.  The bill provides liability protection for food donors as long as they have practised food safety and hygiene measures, and he noted that it encourages initiatives such as those in Sengkang.

The WP supported the bill and expressed the hope that the government could add to the efforts in matching food donors with recipients in need, including setting up an online database for interested supermarkets and food and beverage establishments with food banks and grassroots welfare groups.

In April 2025, he wrote that he occasionally helps out at the food rescue efforts in Sengkang, which take place on Wednesdays at Anchorvale and Thursdays in Rivervale.

“For me, programs like these—led by residents, supported by the community, and utilising resources that may otherwise go to waste—are a win-win,” he wrote, adding that these programmes are “truly sustainable, in many senses of the word.”

Not only do such programmes reduce food waste, Assoc Prof Lim pointed out, but they are also manned by Sengkang’s resident beneficiaries, which means there isn’t as much need for manpower to keep the programmes going. Moreover, he noted that the programme is “recycling at its best” since it makes use of fruit, vegetables, and canned goods that would have otherwise been disposed of and turns them into home-cooked meals. /TISG

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