Tracking of Food Insecurity Prevalence in Singapore

Mr Low Wu Yang Andre asked the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) whether the Ministry tracks the prevalence of moderate to severe food insecurity in Singapore using the Food Insecurity Experience Scale or an equivalent metric; (b) if so, what is the trend over the last five years; and (c) if not, how is food insecurity officially quantified.

Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M: The Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) does not systematically track the prevalence of food insecurity in Singapore. There are some occasional global publications, such as the Food Insecurity Experience Scale by the Food and Agriculture Organization. The measured levels for Singapore are comparable to those of high-income economies, although like the experience of other economies, there has been an increase in recent years.

Our approach is to ensure the availability of financial support if households are in need. Social Service Offices (SSOs) provide ComCare assistance to support families to meet basic living needs, including food-related expenditures. SSOs may also link applicants up with other forms of support, including those that do not qualify for ComCare. There are also efforts by food charities, volunteer groups, grassroots organisations and corporates to provide food support to households in need.

That said, MSF regularly reviews the range of measurements it tracks, in order to better identify needs and groups that need more support. We will include food security as one of the possible areas to consider for more systematic measurement.