Circular urban food ecologies: Barriers to participating in food rescue/redistribution initiatives in Singapore
- 1Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore; Corresponding author. Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore.
- 2Department of Geography and Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore
Abstract
This paper examines bottom-up food rescue/redistribution initiatives in Singapore through the conceptual lens of diverse ecologies of participation, which we extend to incorporate diverse governmentalities and economies. Drawing primarily on in-depth interviews with 10 active food rescuers/redistributors, we examine the socio-institutional and infrastructural barriers to participation in the recovery of food waste. Our empirical findings show that these barriers include shortcomings in the Good Samaritan Food Donation Act and constraints in cold-chain logistics, all of which contribute to anxieties around food spoilage and safety in the tropical heat. Additionally, disciplinary food safety regulations and reputational risks deter businesses from donating surplus food. Taken together, such anxieties influence the willingness to collect, consume and redistribute rescued food. Consequently, we contend that these barriers to participation reflect the interplay between diverse economies (e.g. community, sharing economies) and governmentalities (e.g. neoliberal, communal governmentalities). Finally, we call for a multi-pronged approach to mainstreaming participation in food rescue/redistribution activities under heat stress, such as legislation requiring businesses to responsibly redirect unsold food for consumption, among other strategies.
Related
- Towards post-growth policymaking: Barriers and enablers for wellbeing economy and Doughnut economics initiatives
- French biodiversity data hub : linking local to global biodiversity through international initiatives and open science clouds [résumé]
- Mineral Matrix Composition Controls the Redistribution of Soil Organic Carbon Fractions and Microbial Functioning in Constructed Technosols Under Semi‐Arid Conditions
- Flow-rate controls on trapped hydrogen redistribution in a heterogeneous sandstone: a synchrotron X-ray micro-CT study
- From plankton to fish: 21st-century redistribution of marine biodiversity and the changing role of rare species
BibTeX
@article{tan2026circular,
title = {{Circular urban food ecologies: Barriers to participating in food rescue/redistribution initiatives in Singapore}},
author = {Qian Hui Tan and Brenda Saw Ai Yeoh},
journal = {Cleaner and Responsible Consumption},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1016/j.clrc.2026.100493},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clrc.2026.100493},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Circular urban food ecologies: Barriers to participating in food rescue/redistribution initiatives in Singapore
AU - Qian Hui Tan
AU - Brenda Saw Ai Yeoh
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/30
JO - Cleaner and Responsible Consumption
DO - 10.1016/j.clrc.2026.100493
UR - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clrc.2026.100493
AB - This paper examines bottom-up food rescue/redistribution initiatives in Singapore through the conceptual lens of diverse ecologies of participation, which we extend to incorporate diverse governmentalities and economies. Drawing primarily on in-depth interviews with 10 active food rescuers/redistributors, we examine the socio-institutional and infrastructural barriers to participation in the recovery of food waste. Our empirical findings show that these barriers include shortcomings in the Good Samaritan Food Donation Act and constraints in cold-chain logistics, all of which contribute to anxieties around food spoilage and safety in the tropical heat. Additionally, disciplinary food safety regulations and reputational risks deter businesses from donating surplus food. Taken together, such anxieties influence the willingness to collect, consume and redistribute rescued food. Consequently, we contend that these barriers to participation reflect the interplay between diverse economies (e.g. community, sharing economies) and governmentalities (e.g. neoliberal, communal governmentalities). Finally, we call for a multi-pronged approach to mainstreaming participation in food rescue/redistribution activities under heat stress, such as legislation requiring businesses to responsibly redirect unsold food for consumption, among other strategies.
SN - 2666-7843
ER -