pandamart ties up with sharing app OLIO to redistribute surplus food

Pandamart by foodpanda is partnering with free-sharing app, OLIO, to minimise food waste in Singapore. As part of this collaboration, pandamart will give away unsold food which will be redistributed to the local community via the OLIO app. The initiative, which was first trialled in pandamart Whampoa in December 2021, redistributes surplus food, which would otherwise be thrown away, to the local community through the OLIO app.

This food, which includes perishables that are nearing their shelf-life and canned goods with minor packaging defects, will be collected by OLIO’s “Food Waste Hero” volunteers on set days and times, and will be uploaded onto the OLIO app and redistributed to households and community groups for free. The programme was recently extended to two more pandamart outlets at Tampines and Bukit Batok, and will be expanded to include all 15 pandamart stores by the end 2022.

In just three months, the partnership has effectively redistributed close to 400kg of food, providing an equivalent of over 900 meals to 180 local families - from just one pandamart store. The results translate to approximately over 1700kg of CO2 emissions avoided, and over 295 thousand litres of water saved. 

Meanwhile, more than 100,000 individuals across Singapore are already using OLIO to counter the throwaway culture by sharing food and non-food items with others in their immediate community, including furniture, clothing, and school items. Half of all food listings in Singapore are collected within half an hour. With OLIO, users are encouraged to be considerate and ensure any edible items given away are something they would be comfortable consuming themselves too.

Laura Kantor, marketing and sustainability director at foodpanda Singapore, said while it tries its best to ensure that the supply it procures at pandamart coincides with its customers' demand, it is inevitable that foodpanda will have excess food that will not get sold.

"Instead of throwing them away, we can reduce food waste by redistributing them, and our partnership with OLIO allows us to easily and efficiently do so. Minimising food waste is one of the key pillars that shape our sustainability agenda at foodpanda, and we are keen to play a bigger part in supporting Singapore’s plan towards becoming a Zero Waste Nation," she added.

Meanwhile, Tessa Clarke, CEO and co-founder of OLIO, said Singaporeans are eager to adopt a zero-waste lifestyle and the traction the brand seen from the trial with pandamart is great testament to that. "We're incredibly excited to build on this pioneering partnership so we can support as many people and businesses as possible to become zero food waste," she said.

According to the National Environment Agency, food waste remains one of the biggest waste streams in Singapore, generating over 660,000 tonnes in 2020 and accounting for about 11% of the total waste generated. Through the partnership with OLIO, foodpanda is stepping up its efforts to support Singapore's Zero Waste Master Plan and prevent edible food surplus from ending up in landfills. The Masterplan has set a new waste reduction target for Singapore – to reduce the waste sent to Semakau Landfill each day by 30% by 2030 - which will help to extend Semakau Landfill’s lifespan beyond 2035.

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