[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/singapore\/louis-ng-calls-for-public-consultation-on-good-samaritan-food-donation-bill\/#NewsArticle","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/singapore\/louis-ng-calls-for-public-consultation-on-good-samaritan-food-donation-bill\/","headline":"Louis Ng calls for Public Consultation on Good Samaritan Food Donation Bill","name":"Louis Ng calls for Public Consultation on Good Samaritan Food Donation Bill","description":"Member of Parliament for Nee Soon GRC, Mr Louis Ng, has called for a public consultation on the Good Samaritan Food Donation Bill.\u00a0 Announced in September 2020, Mr Ng\u2019s Good Samaritans Food Donation Legislation Review Committee aims to help waive the liability for food donors under certain conditions, and provide incentives for F&B establishments to […]","datePublished":"2021-08-27","dateModified":"2022-04-15","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/author\/rachel-teng\/#Person","name":"Rachel Teng","url":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/author\/rachel-teng\/","identifier":367,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/Rachel_Teng-100x100.jpg","url":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/Rachel_Teng-100x100.jpg","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"TheHomeGround Asia","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/photo_2021-07-22-222533.jpeg","url":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/photo_2021-07-22-222533.jpeg","width":640,"height":640}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/1630070980664_Louis_Ng_calls_for_Public_Consultation_on_Good_Samaritan_Food_Donation_Bill_Louis_Ng_281280X626px29.jpg","url":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/1630070980664_Louis_Ng_calls_for_Public_Consultation_on_Good_Samaritan_Food_Donation_Bill_Louis_Ng_281280X626px29.jpg","height":626,"width":1280},"url":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/singapore\/louis-ng-calls-for-public-consultation-on-good-samaritan-food-donation-bill\/","commentCount":"2","comment":[{"@type":"Comment","@id":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/singapore\/louis-ng-calls-for-public-consultation-on-good-samaritan-food-donation-bill\/#Comment1","dateCreated":"2026-07-09 12:08:54","description":"Thank you for your sharing. I am worried that I lack creative ideas. It is your article that makes me full of hope. Thank you. But, I have a question, can you help me? binance h\"anvisningsbonus<\/a>","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"binance prijavnica","url":"https:\/\/accounts.binance.com\/sl\/register?ref=I3OM7SCZ"}},{"@type":"Comment","@id":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/singapore\/louis-ng-calls-for-public-consultation-on-good-samaritan-food-donation-bill\/#Comment2","dateCreated":"2026-06-10 19:05:01","description":"Thank you for your sharing. I am worried that I lack creative ideas. It is your article that makes me full of hope. Thank you. But, I have a question, can you help me?","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Inscription sur www.binance.com","url":"https:\/\/www.binance.com\/fr\/register?ref=T7KCZASX"}}],"about":["Community","Environment","Food","Local","Singapore"],"wordCount":831,"keywords":["food","food waste","Singapore","waste"],"articleBody":"Member of Parliament for Nee Soon GRC, Mr Louis Ng, has called for a public consultation on the Good Samaritan Food Donation Bill.\u00a0Announced in September 2020, Mr Ng\u2019s Good Samaritans Food Donation Legislation Review Committee aims to help waive the liability for food donors under certain conditions, and provide incentives for F&B establishments to donate wasted food \u2013 all while ensuring food safety.\ufeff\ufeff\ufeffMP Ng shares that the idea came to him while out at a caf\u00e9 with his family. \u201cMy daughter Ella wanted a piece of cake, and by the time we went back 10 minutes past the buffet time, they had emptied the whole dessert corner into a trash bag in front of me,\u201d he said.\u00a0He asked if he could sign off their liability and take the food to donate but the manager shared that they would still be subject to criminal liabilities.\u00a0\u201cIf you look it up, this is true and quite a serious offence; hawkers can be fined and jailed for donating food that causes food poisoning,\u201d he points out.Less than a decade ago, Senior Minister of State for Law and Education, Indranee Rajah, said in Parliament that there was no need for a Good Samaritan Law in Singapore, stating that \u201cpeople continue to help when necessary.\u201d\u00a0The times have changed, however. While the goodwill of Singaporeans is not the issue in question, those of food security and global warming are increasingly imminent, and in fact, interlinked.\u201cAs you know, we are big importers of food, and the raw carbon footprint needed to import all this food \u2013 some of which goes straight to the landfill \u2013 will contribute to climate change,\u201d said MP Ng.\u00a0\u201cIf we just don\u2019t waste the food we already have in Singapore, we might not have to worry so much about whether there\u2019s enough food to import either.\u201d\u00a0Managing liabilities\u00a0Nicholas Ng, co-founder of Food Bank Singapore, highlights that this system has been tried and tested in many other countries. \u201cWhat MP Louis Ng is pushing for is not something revolutionary, it has been happening for 50-60 years in most of Europe and America.\u201d\u00a0France, for one, makes it illegal for grocery stores to waste food \u2013 everything gets donated. \u201cAmericans are famous for suing for anything under the sun, but since they had this law, nobody has successfully sued food donors, and the number of lawsuits filed under this law was much lower than average,\u201d Nicholas said.\u00a0That said, MP Ng assures that beneficiaries will still be protected against food safety issues. \u201cIf we find out that donors are knowingly donating stale food, this law will not protect them,\u201d he said.\u00a0Furthermore, food donation in Singapore goes through multiple rounds of quality checks. \u201cFood safety is our number one priority; if we have any reason to reject food that isn\u2019t safe for consumption, we usually do,\u201d said Den Teo, founder of Food Rescue @ Events (Singapore). \u201cThese Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) will not change even after the passing of the Bill.\u201d\u00a0\u201cI think we are just putting our good faith in people, while still reminding our beneficiaries to exercise common sense, and not eat food that smells weird or is mouldy,\u201d said Mr Ng.\u00a0Some, especially smallholder food establishments, are also concerned about protecting their businesses \u2013 these concerns are usually handled with tact. \u201cWhen we rescue food, we usually try our best not to give them to needy families who stay nearby, and neither do we include the food company\u2019s name,\u201d said Teo.\u00a0Bill drafting process reveals systematic and cultural issues\u00a0MP Ng shared that one of the biggest challenges right now is how we legally define food.\u00a0\u201cI know it sounds crazy but not all food is the same, and we have to ensure that there are safeguards in place [for different types of food donation],\u201d he said. Bakeries and buffets, for example, don\u2019t stamp what time and date the food was made, so that makes liabilities blurry.\u00a0The Good Samaritans Food Donation Legislation Review Committee consists of an elaborate range of stakeholders in the food industry, including hoteliers, supermarket owners, the Restaurant Association, grassroots, and NGOs.While calling for public feedback, the Committee has simultaneously undergone a series of closed-door consultations, where unique problems are being brought up and addressed.\u00a0One was that of a chicken wholesaler who sells his chicken to hawkers on a consignment basis. \u201cA lot of times when the chicken is bruised, chicken rice stores don\u2019t want them. That\u2019s an animal welfare issue,\u201d said MP Ng. \u201cThese chickens will not have been frozen and just get thrown away.\u201d\u00a0MP Ng and team have since managed to link them up with food charities.\u00a0\u201cUltimately, it is this rampant throwaway culture that we are hoping to address with this bill,\u201d he said.\u00a0Give your feedback to the MP Ng\u2019s Committee by 31 August 2021 here.\u00a0Join the conversations on TheHomeGround Asia’s Facebook and Instagram, and get the latest updates via Telegram.\u00a0"},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Destinations","item":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Singapore","item":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/\/singapore\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Louis Ng calls for Public Consultation on Good Samaritan Food Donation Bill","item":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/singapore\/louis-ng-calls-for-public-consultation-on-good-samaritan-food-donation-bill\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]