FWH food safety in Singapore

🍔 Here is the key information you need to know as a Food Waste Hero in Singapore

Expiry dates:

  • Unlike many other countries, in Singapore there is no distinction between use-by dates (all about safety) and best-before dates (all about quality). Therefore, any date indicated on a food item should always be considered the safety date and food that has passed that date must not be shared. 
  • This is different from the other guidelines you will find in Olio’s FAQs, is unique to Singapore, and should therefore be strictly applied so that the food businesses we work with can be confident of our food safety standards.

Therefore, as a Food Waste Hero in Singapore: 

  • You should not collect food items that are past the expiry date (if you see any).
  • You should not list food items on Olio that are past the expiry date.
  • You should unlist items that have passed their expiry date since you listed them on Olio. The “List for” drop-down does it for you automatically when you select the right time!
  • If an item you listed is still on Olio after its expiry date, you should unlist the listing as soon as you can, decline any requests for the item, and under no circumstances share the item.

Transportation:

  • Chilled bags are highly recommended when you’re collecting food from businesses and, as you usually won’t know in advance if there will be chilled food to collect, it’s always good to have one with you for your collections, just in case. 
  • If you don’t have a chilled bag, you can try the “Wanted” section to see if your neighbours have a spare one they don’t need, or check on the “Non-food” section in case someone already has one to give away.

Fridge temperatures: 

  • Fresh produce (like cut fruit, salads, milk, meat, fish, etc.) must be stored at or below 4°C (colder than the usual 5°C applicable in most other countries).
  • Please make sure that your fridge is set to a maximum of 4°c and do not overload it, as this may affect its ability to keep the food at the desired temperature. 

Happy sharing! 🥦🙌🏼

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