Association of Catering Professionals Singapore (ACAPS) Gala Dinner 2025 - Ms Grace Fu

1.   Good evening. I am delighted to join all of you at the ACAPS Gala Dinner.

2.   In Singapore, food is an important part of our culture. Being in a multi-racial society, our cuisines are an exciting mixture of spices and flavours from different parts of the world. Sharing a meal together is also our national pastime, a way we bond and connect with one another.

3.   Food is almost always the highlight at our festive banquets and family gatherings.

• In recent years, with demographic shifts such as an aging population, and more double-income families, we observe shifts in consumption patterns. Caterings are becoming more mainstream. They are not only reserved for larger events such as weddings and corporate functions.

• Today, small scale occasions like family gatherings and daily meals in preschool centres and elder care centres, increasingly rely on catering services.

• Our catering businesses have been responsive to changes in consumption behaviour. Many have adapted by customising menus to suit varying group sizes.

• This adaptability reflects the resilience of the sector and how businesses stay attuned to customers' evolving needs.

4.   Looking ahead, we should pay attention to how food is produced, supplied, prepared and served, and explore ways to do so more sustainably for the future.

SG60: Embracing Resilience and Boldness in the F&B Sector

5.   This focus on sustainability and long-term resilience is especially timely as we mark SG60.

• With foresight and collective effort, our forefathers laid the foundations for a thriving, modern economy despite limited natural resources.

• The same boldness and resilience are needed today as we face new and more complex global challenges such as climate change and geopolitical uncertainties.

6.   The recent decision by the US to impose a 10% baseline tariff on all countries is a case in point.

• This tariff will affect trade and undermine the confidence of consumers and businesses, eventually affecting our economic outlook in the medium to long term.

• In PM’s message to Singaporeans, he has reminded us to be clear-eyed about the dangers that are building up in the world.

• In these uncertain times, building our resilience will be key to helping us brace ourselves for the shocks to come.

7.   Our F&B sector is not exempted from the volatilities of the world. We must continue to build resilience to nourish our communities, create jobs and contribute to our food security.

•  This means strengthening three critical areas: food supply resilience, food safety, and sustainable business strategy.

Building Food Supply Resilience through Local Sourcing

8.   I am heartened to see the ACAPS leading the way in encouraging support for local produce, and contributing towards Singapore’s food resilience.

•  As a small country that imports over 90% of our food, building local capability and capacity helps to strengthen our food supply and reduce our vulnerability to global supply chain disruptions.

9.   When businesses choose to source ingredients locally, they shorten their supply chains, became more climate resilient, while supporting the growth of our local agri-tech sector.

•  In March 2023, the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) launched the Farm-to-Table Recognition Programme (FTTRP) in collaboration with ACAPS, the Restaurant Association of Singapore and the Singapore Hotel Association. Since then, participation has grown steadily, from 11 businesses in March 2023 to over a 100 today.

• ACAPS’ continued support for SFA’s initiatives has helped to further raise the profile of FTTRP among association members.

• Participating companies such as McDonald’s Singapore, Chilli Api Catering, and Resorts World Sentosa procure at least 15% of some ingredients from local farms.

• This reduces the companies’ carbon footprint, while contributing to our food resilience

Resilience through Food Safety Practices

10.   Resilience in the F&B sector can also come from being reliable.

11.   By upholding good food safety practices, businesses can build trust and support among consumers through times of uncertainty.

•  Everyone in the farm to table chain plays an important role in ensuring food safety.

• From suppliers to kitchen staff, every stage has a responsibility in upholding food safety standards.

• Government initiatives, such as the impending Safety Assurance for Food Establishments (SAFE) framework, encourages all food businesses – big or small – to play their part.

  • The SAFE framework will grade businesses based on their adoption of good food safety practices and their food safety track record.

  • Good food safety practices include ensuring that all food handlers are adequately trained and adopting Food Safety Management Systems (FSMS) that proactively identify and control food safety hazards.

• These practices help businesses prevent costly incidents and strengthen consumer confidence, which will contribute to their long-term operational resilience.

• In a sector where reputation and trust with the consumers are important, a strong foundation in food safety is not only about doing the right thing – it is an essential business strategy of staying competitive. More details on the framework will be announced in due course.

Resilience through Sustainable Business Strategy

12.   Resilience is about being ready for future disruptions.

13.   By adopting sustainable business strategies, companies will be able to better manage costs, meet changing customer needs and cope with volatility arising from climate change and resource scarcity.

• In November last year, Enterprise Singapore launched the F&B Sustainability Playbook, developed jointly with industry stakeholders.

• The Playbook provides practical guidance in reducing food and packaging waste, lower energy usage, and track carbon emissions.

• The Playbook’s “Account, Avoid, Adjust” framework helps companies drive sustainability in three areas, by reducing food waste, packaging waste, and emissions.

  • Account: Start by measuring food waste, packaging use, and energy consumption to understand their footprint and identify areas for improvement.

  • Avoid: Use forecasting and planning tools to reduce waste.

  • Adjust: Switch to energy-efficient equipment, relook kitchen layouts, or process re-design such as reusable packaging and closed-loop waste systems.

• Some businesses have taken bold steps and shown good results.

• For instance, Grain, an on-demand meal and catering company, tackled inefficient ingredient preparation and inconsistent portioning in its central kitchen by switching to pre-cut vegetables and proteins.

  • This resulted in reduction of food waste by 30 percent, increase in kitchen efficiency by 20 percent and lowered operational cost by 15 percent.

• Local café, such as Foreword Coffee Roasters, partnered with Semula to upcycle their empty plastic milk bottles into new materials for making furniture and decors.

  • Foreword upcycled about 271kg of empty plastic bottles and diverted this plastic waste away from incinerators in 2023.

14.   These are just some ways which the F&B sector has embedded sustainability into its daily operations

Support for Industry Transformation

15.   To support the F&B companies in this journey, the Government offers several funding and capability-building programmes.

16.   The Enterprise Sustainability Programme (ESP), led by Enterprise Singapore, offers a suite of resources to help businesses develop sustainability competencies. This includes access to training, diagnostics, tools, and project funding.                                                                                                              

17.   The Enterprise Development Grant (EDG) supports more in-depth transformation efforts, such as conducting lifecycle assessments, developing green product strategies, and investing in energy-efficient solutions.

18.   There are also resources to support the industry to build capabilities for food safety.

• For example, companies can tap on Enterprise Singapore’s EDG for subsidies on the consultancy fee to develop a Food Safety Management System, and the SkillsFuture Grant, Mid-Career Enhanced Subsidy, and Enhanced Training Support for SMEs, to train Advanced Food Hygiene Officers.

Conclusion

19.   In closing, let us take a moment to reflect on how far we have come. Over the past decades, Singapore has built a trusted and resilient food system.

• The progress we have made so far has been possible because of strong collaboration – between the Government, industry associations like ACAPS, businesses and the community.

20.  As we look ahead to an uncertain and complex future, strong partnerships are more important than ever.

• We must continue to work closely together across 3P partners – public, private and people, to navigate new challenges and future-proof our F&B sector.

• What we have achieved together before, we can achieve again.

21.   I would like to thank ACAPS for your leadership, partnership and continued efforts to support the F&B sector.

22.   As we mark SG60, let us be bold in shaping the next chapter, one that builds on our legacy and charts a sustainable and resilient path forward for Singapore.

23.   Thank you.