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Food & Drink sourcing is a key component of a sustainability strategy in the F&B industry and leads to many benefits such as reduced operating costs, improved products quality, improved community relationships, increased customer loyalty, and improved morale and loyalty among staff.
Our diet and food choices have a significant impact on our carbon footprint (25% of global GHG emissions are generated by food production).
It is fundamental to understand that "consuming local" will not by itself be enough to reduce our footprint, as Transport only contributes less than 10% of GHG emissions for most food products (falling to 0.5% for beef, because of its tremendous amount of GHG generated by land use and farm-stage emissions). However, it really does matter to avoid products that are air-freighted (because highly perishable) instead of imported by boat and to source from sustainable farms/companies.
If you have 1 first step to make, reducing beef and dairy consumption and shifting to poultry and plant-based alternatives will have the greatest impact on your carbon footprint.
To learn more, read in-depth the analysis from Our World in Data.
Buy Local Products. It may not be essential in terms of carbon footprint for some products but it's essential for fresh and perishable ones. It helps to support Singapore 30 / 30 Food Plan, secure food supplies, raise awareness on food production and supply chain. It is also an opportunity to be more creative with well known products. Promote your actions with the local farmers and suppliers: it benefits them and your image at the same time.
Look for certifications and labels. For products like eggs, vegetables and fish for instance, Singapore certified and accredited farms are under these quality assurance schemes:
Buy Regional ASEAN Products. It may not be essential in terms of carbon footprint for some products but it's essential for fresh and perishable ones. It helps to support surroundings economies and local communities, secure food supplies, raise awareness on food production and supply chain. It is also an opportunity to be more creative with well known products.
Promote your actions with the local farmers and suppliers: it benefits them and your image at the same time.
Look for regional certifications and labels. See international certifications in the additional resources below.
When sourcing products, look at all the other sustainable aspects:
A shameful quantity of food does not make it to our plate because they don't meet standards in size, shape or color...
They are commonly called "ugly" food, although perfectly edible.
In Singapore, where most of the products are imported, "unwanted food" refers to fresh produces rejected because of cosmetic reasons or surplus, at the supply chain and retailer stages. They still can be consumed as it is or transformed into dishes, juices, sauces, etc.
By buying them, you can significantly decrease food waste. Furthermore, their price is usually lower.
When some products almost reach their shelf life, they can be discounted or blessed to staff.
Obviously, growing your own produces will not cover all your needs in terms of fresh supplies. However, it has several benefits:
In addition, partnerships will support local community gardens and local urban farmers.
You do not need much space to get started:
Alternatively, a specialist can help you start your own garden.
If you cannot grow your own produce, prioritize local produces (labelled if possible). See above solution "Source Responsibly"
Replace single-use bottles by more sustainable options, such as reusable (e.g. glass) bottles that can be filled with filtered tap water and sealed on-site (for F&B outlets and office restaurants for instance). Some systems also allow you to have sparkling and still water for your consumers' choice.
The « sustainability journey » may feel overwhelming sometimes, but you are not alone.
Our Buddies have tried, succeeded, failed to implement change in their companies. They share their experience so you can learn, take shortcuts, get inspired and ask questions.
Everybody can become a Buddy and give back to the community; if you are keen, get in touch with us.
Entrepreneurial by nature, Claire started ShiokFarm in 2015 when realising the high prices for organic fruit and vegetables in Singapore. Based on the French AMAP model, in which Farmers and a community create a partnership in order to reduce food waste and cost, ShiokFarm aims to provide families and offices in Singapore with affordable organic fruit and vegetables while reducing food waste.
Starting with a small Facebook group, Claire has succeeded in making ShiokFarm an outstanding organic business. ShiokFarm received its BCorp certification in 2023. As of 2025, it has launched B2B (business-to-business) operations in Hong Kong (Fruit@TheOffice).
My first job was with a major consulting company in Japan. I appreciated my time there, but was always yearning to do something with a greater direct impact, and something that gives me a greater sense of purpose. I am blessed to have the opportunity to travel the world, and be exposed to different perspectives, ways of living and available alternatives!
A series of serendipitous events led to the founding of merchandise.blue with two highly experienced and interesting friends. Merchandise.blue offered merchandise like uniforms, towels and bags in more environmentally progressive textiles made of materials like seaweed, organic cotton and recycled fishing nets.
When the opportunity to open Kizuna arose, it was clear that I wanted to apply similar values and principles to this physical space.
Tomo is a seasoned development professional having lived and worked in various corners of the world from the Tibetan plateau, Indian drylands, Indonesian tropics, to Japanese metropolises. He has extensive field experience working for international and local development NGOs across Asia and Africa, including Kopernik, the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, and the World Bank. He was formerly an Assistant Professor at the Global Leadership Program at the University of Tokyo.
Tomo has a BA in Social Anthropology from Harvard College, a Masters in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School, and was an Asia Pacific Leadership Program Fellow (2008) and Innovation Fellow (2020) at the East-West Center. In 2014 Tomo was awarded the Dalai Lama’s Unsung Heroes of Compassion Award.
Raised in the Middle East by Eastern European parents, I was surrounded by layers of diversity. Extensive traveling throughout my childhood stimulated a fascination for cultures, languages and geopolitics, and I continued living a pseudo-nomadic life as an adult. While I began my career on the trading floor in NYC, I later worked in Africa, Asia, Europe and South America in diverse roles (investments, micro-finance, communications, and business development). Fluent in five languages, I graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and later completed a Masters in International Affairs from Fletcher (Tufts), and have a number of Sustainability related certificates.
Quentin has over 15 years experience in Responsible Value Chain. He started as a Sustainable material experts to slowly cover the entire Value chain and life cycle of products. In Singapore, Quentin worked for Accenture in Sustainable Value Chain Strategy. On the side, Quentin created LoSiam - Le Laboratoire Olfactif du Siam - and chairs now its board.
I'm an environmental strategist with ten years of experience transforming small teams to become more sustainable via capacity-building, learning from best practices of other teams elsewhere, as well as agile team management methods with scientific experimentation in person to verify hypotheses from case studies.
I am a sustainability professional with a focus on carbon markets since 2004. I was fortunate to work in various roles in this field, giving me multiple perspectives: project development (Ecosecurities, Malaysia), origination (Perenia Carbon, Indonesia), investment structuring (Mitsui, Japan), validation and verification (TUV Rheinland, China & Singapore), and recently Nature-based Solutions (PUR, Singapore).
I am currently the Regional Commercial Director for Asia for PUR, an impact company that develops projects within our clients’ value chains to regenerate landscapes and protect vital ecosystems. By implementing nature-based solutions, we help companies to reduce their environmental footprint while increasing the resilience of their supply chain to climate change.
I am a seasoned leader and strategist with over 20 years of experience in the Singapore Army, where I tackled complex challenges, led high-performing teams, and delivered tangible outcomes in various crises, disasters, and conflicts.
I am also a certified sustainability professional with qualifications in integrating ESG, sustainable finance, and ESG reporting standards. I am a Futures Fellow at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy Executive Education, Affiliate Faculty of the Singapore Management University and an SID Accredited Director.
At V-Plus Agritech, a circular agriculture company that aims to reduce food waste, carbon emissions, and water consumption, I am on a mission to drive climate action and create environmental and social impact. I combine my deep expertise in strategy and communications with a passion for and knowledge in sustainability, to scale circular agriculture and educate executives on ESG. I am always on the lookout for new opportunities and partnerships to further my vision of a green economy.
