Singapore greenlights law to facilitate surplus food donation to reduce waste

Donors will be protected by the law, given they comply with safety and hygiene rules.

Singapore passed a law that facilitates the donation of surplus food to beneficiaries to help reduce food waste.

Under the Good Samaritan Food Donation Bill, donors will be protected from criminal and civil liability in cases of death or personal injury resulting from consuming donated food, provided they meet the four conditions set out by the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment (MSE) and Singapore Food Agency (SFA) to ensure food safety and hygiene.

The conditions include:

1. The food should not have been unsafe and not unsuitable at the time it left possession or control of the food donor.
2. The food donor should have informed the recipient of any food handling requirements to ensure that the donated food remained safe and suitable.
3. The food donor should have informed the recipient of any time limit beyond which the food would no longer have remained safe and suitable.
4. The food donor should have taken all reasonably practicable measures to comply with any applicable requirement under any written law related to food safety and hygiene when handling the food to be donated.

These guidelines are available online and will be refreshed periodically to ensure their continued relevance to food donors and food distribution organisations.

However, the bill will not impede the SFA's ability to investigate food safety lapses and enforce compliance. In the event of such incidents, the SFA will investigate and take measures to manage risks to recipients.

In addition, the government is considering additional measures to ensure that food donors maintain proper safety standards, such as staff and volunteer training, record-keeping for accountability, and regular inspections.