Key Sustainable Practices for Locally Produced Food Procurement

The aspect of environmental benefit extends to sourcing local raw materials. This will relieve the ecosystem of adverse impacts resultant from agricultural, forestry, and fishing practices. Sustainable packaging also helps in the reduction of carbon footprint and the landfilling of harmful materials. Moreover, they can be recycled or reused many times. This means that fewer resources are needed to create new packaging. Sustainability practices can also be carried out in supply chain management.  Companies have to pinpoint areas for improvement within work processes to achieve sustainability. A critical aspect of sustainability goal attainment and alignment with community priorities is communication with stakeholders. Awareness training on sustainability will equip individuals and companies with an understanding of why the environment must be protected

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Local Sourcing of Raw Material

Procuring raw materials from local sources supports economic growth.  The expectation for awareness of sustainability has increased.  Local sourcing can resonate with environmentally friendly trends.  This draws in more consumers who prioritize sustainability.  It is an excellent public relation exercise that showcases the commitment to invest in and support its local community. The supply chain will not be disrupted.  Essential materials can be provided more quickly than sourcing them internationally.  If there are any issues with the materials, a phone call and a visit to the suppliers’ site will be more convenient and less time-consuming. Sourcing raw materials from local sources will be less prone to spoilage.  It will be fresh all year round. This will in turn reduce the shipping costs. The series of global footprints logos were introduced in February 2022 by the Singapore Food Agency.  This move enables consumers to easily identify and purchase local produce food products. Two of the urban farms, Comcrop and Sustenir Agriculture, which will be certified as SG Clean & Green. 

Sustainable Urban Agriculture

Locally, the primary sustainable farming practice utilizes high-tech urban farming methods.  This maximizes food production within limited land space. Some current strategies for Sustainable Farming Practices includes the “30 by 30” goal and high-tech urban farming such as vertical farming and hydroponics, recirculatory aquaculture systems, and insert farming. The vertical farming practices use less land and water as compared to traditional farming. This farming method minimises waste.  The recirculatory aquaculture systems ensure a consistent seafood supply for continuous fish produce.  The insert farming produces protein with a much lower carbon footprint than conventional livestock farming. The government provides extensive funding and grants to promote the adoption of innovative farming technologies. The Agri-food Cluster Transformation (ACT) Fund help farmers to integrate sustainable and high-tech methods into their operations. 

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Reducing Food Wastage

Individuals and Businesses in Singapore play a significant role in the food waste cycle.  They have the power to implement changes to reduce food waste.  Another sustainability practice is the clean plate campaign which emphasises the importance to reduce food waste.  This will in turn create more awareness to the public on environmental and societal impact of food waste. For individual sustainable practices, an individual can plan a meal in advance to avoid over-purchasing and food wastage. A precise shopping list can be drafted out to plan and buy what is needed to minimise waste. Leftover excess food can be turned into a new recipe or donated away. Composting can be done with fruit and vegetable scraps, coffee ground and eggshells which turn waste into a valuable resource. In the case of businesses’ sustainable practices, supply chain management can be implemented to minimise waste.  As an example, in a warehouse environment, one of the strategic practices could be the rotation of inventory.  It involves the systematic movement and management of inventory to prevent stock from becoming expired or spoiled. The First-In-First-Out (FIFO) or First-Expired-First-Out (FEFO) method fall under this strategy.  These two strategies ensure optimum quality and freshness of food.