Written Reply to Parliamentary Question on Farm-to-Table Recognition Programme by Ms Grace Fu, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment

7 February 2024

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Written Reply to Parliamentary Question on Farm-to-Table Recognition Programme by Ms Grace Fu, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment

Ms See Jinli Jean: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) whether an update can be provided on the traction of the Farm to-Table Recognition (FTR) Programme among (i) food businesses in the hotel, restaurant and catering sectors and (ii) consumers since April 2023; (b) whether the Ministry plans to onboard coffee shops and hawker centres onto the FTR Programme; and (c) whether the Ministry will consider measures to improve the affordability of local produce for businesses and consumers, to encourage greater traction of the FTR Programme.

Answer:

1 The Farm-to-Table Recognition Programme (FTTRP) recognises food businesses that procure locally farmed produce. Consumers can identify and support farm establishments that use locally produced ingredients by looking out for the Farm-to-Table logos. Since its launch in Mar 2023, 50 companies have joined the programme. We welcome more food businesses, including coffee shops and hawker centres, to join the FTTRP.

2 To encourage greater traction of the FTTRP, government procurement has incorporated a weighted criterion for sustainable initiatives through the efforts of the Singapore Food Agency (SFA). Food caterers recognised under the FTTRP would receive additional points that increase their chances of securing government catering contracts.

3 Complementing the FTTRP, SFA helps farms to adopt more productive technologies under the Agri-food Cluster Transformation (ACT) Fund. SFA also supports industry-led initiatives such as the Alliance for Action (AfA) on Local Produce Demand Offtake and Consumer Education that has since formed a supply and demand aggregator for farms and retailers. Such measures can help farms build up the capabilities and scale to provide quality products at competitive prices.