Can i just mention how sick and trashy it is that some of the donated canned/bottled food products to The Food Bank are expired and half-used? It disgusts me that they would even think of donating such items to the needy. It's not a dumping ground?? How low can you get?! 🤦‍♀️

love the vending machine ideas, giving the who are in need - convenance & freedom in choices, is uplifting rather than shameful

These two reports were really great at concisely highlighting the challenges of food insecurity in Singapore to those of us that may not be aware. I'm very confident that if any country could resolve these issues to the greatest degree, it would be Singapore. Great work.

I don't see much fruits being given alongside free cooked foods. Fruits are a great source of vitamins and minerals to balance out the meals. It is also healthier snacks than sugar laden biscuits

Singaporeans are so fortunate. Good Government and good Samaritans.

Honestly I'm so proud of this pple who come forward to help with a big heart not just for the sake of helping but really think through about it! Especially for Elderly

Without Choices, so much food is thrown away. I'm Diabetic and I cannot eat half of what they give me here in Australia. We should be able to choose what we want.

While I understand that some people have needs (i.e. no teeth) to be met and a be given choice to choose (i.e. not eating certain types of canned food), it's the self-entitled people that are a put off. Not taking the milk unless it's premium. Say what. Some food charities are trying to accommodate, beneficiaries cannot be this self entitled.

Ok this is pretty relevant.. I work in a food processing plant at the western part of Singapore. During the early days when I've been working there, I was really bothered about the "wastages" that being the processed food that still are edible but didn't "look too nice" . I made an off hand comment that insead of throwing it away, we should donate it... My manager looked at me in disgust.. and this is the lesson that I've brought with me till this day.. he said "if you really have the heart.. you won't be giving low quality stuff to the people in need. They are people just like you and me.. we don't give them the trash we throw out! Wan't to give, we give them the dignity of the products that we are willing to sell" I was humbled by that statement all those years ago

I understand that the elderlies in this video are in very difficult positions, but has anyone ever sympathized with the volunteer workers? Even though some elderlies have genuinely concerns and certain food needs to be avoided. But let's be real, there are gonna be a picky choosers, and a whole lot of them. Those volunteers are already going the extra mile for the logistic of collecting and distributing food. Imagine getting complaints that food are too bland, too similar etc. And possibly 20 over different request because the food is unsuitable for them. The elder lady complains about the baked beans and campbell soup, saying that they're not suitable for her taste. Now imagine those people in the 1st part of this series. I believe those kids will be very happy to receive some of these, because they literally have almost nothing. They didn't even have the choice to choose. Now even though in this video we can see how the journalist is trying to sympathize with the elderly, we can clearly see that quite a few of them are indeed choosers. All these charitable societies have done a great job by providing fresh & dry/preserved food for free, almost to the conveniences of the elderly. At this point, i don't know what constructive and objection suggestions can be made to improve the lives of these old folks, because the message that i'm getting from this video is not just that the food are unsuitable for them, but there are many picky choosers too.

Maybe we should create a group that collects information for these volunteering organisations. Information is the key to better distribute across the population.

Then again a lot of times when people ask for a donation, they do not specifically say who is those food being donated to. Especially when schools do charity drives, they simply say that they are looking for food, essentials, etc. and as a donator how would you know who is receiving what. So is it right to say that people donate food that is not suitable for the elderly?

The elderly should share the canned goods or snacks he/she can't eat to his/her neighbor instead of piling all up at the house and letting it expired and go to waste. Sharing is caring. Share to your neighbors.

Generally like how concise the analysis has been so far, although there's a clear bias in showing the singapore government in a good light. Appreciate what volunteer switch has done in taking in clear feedback from their beneficiaries, and adjusting accordingly, and the other vwo that allows beneficiaries to choose what items they prefer. Humans have dignity and humans have preference and I believe we should respect them as such, instead of assuming just because one is poor, they should not be allowed to choose what to eat or what not to eat - whats more, those with medical conditions are unable to eat the food that a normal person may be able to eat. Has there been any consideration to consolidate all the different ground up initiatives and they're efforts? I'm sure we can at least keep track of the ones that have already been here for awhile and are planning to be here for a long time. that will allow for better allocation of resources, and maybe it'll be easier for people to volunteer as well.

Some people just do not deserve the benefits. Those that are fussy over what are given becos of individual preferences instead of quality like freshness etc should be banned from receiving it. Yes beggar cant be chooser. Not that they really treat you like beggar but people are trying their best to make sure you don't go hungry, if you see your living standard shd be higher and food given shd be premium, then please leave these to others that would appreciate it. You can slowly wait for what suit you best instead of wasting food. These ppl are too spoilt.

Lucky to stay in Singapore, give with a heart. Thank you for working so hard with so much consideration.

God bless those volunteers and organisations who have a heart for the less fortunate. May they themselves and their families be blessed. Heaven got eyes.

my wife is a social worker, and she is all the time receiving "donated food" from the old folks she is helping. really, all the poor people really have too much food. and usually receving multiple food sources don't happened, becuase she usually has to coordinate with many other agencies who also provide simultaneous care.

I feel like a total idiot.My school asked us to bring some stuff to make the CNY Hamper to give to the elderly staying near my school.Some of my friends brought canned food.I did not realise that the elderly may not have the strength to open up the canned food.

Thank you for this special report. Keep up the great work, CNA!

Thanks for the great great 2 part series that touches all of our hearts - food. Also thank you for including the links to the website of all the voluntary groups you mentioned. Gonna check them up and sign up as a volunteer (:

Wow this is a good watch, keep it up cna!!! I've been loving this insight documentary

really admire for those food donators, wish your good deeds inspire others 🙏

Great Insight and an eye opener. I am now more aware of what kind of foods I can donate that will be actually useful to the elderly. Its inspiring to see that organisations have come together to address the food insecurity as well as the food wastage.

This report informs, touches the heart and gives hope all in one go. I find the report very well written and well produced. More power to you!

Kudos to the volunteers! 🙏🙏🙏👏👏👏

This is so good please come out more videos like this it creates awareness

This 2nd part of the video series address the elephant in the room. All the donation people gave always goes to the same few people, result to wastage of so many donated canned food. Those living in bigger accommodation or earn slightly more are considered well off are receiving little to no help. I hope all these non-profit organizations realise there are poor in 3 rm or even 4 rm flat too. Then the other issue is I still see people complaining the poor have decent size TV or children are playing with phone or tablet. Really? Only the rich entitled to a TV or a phone? TV are pretty affordable nowadays as long as they are not 4K or has special feature. People need to realise not all phones are iPhone, there are affordable Redmi phones too. iPad their children are using might be older generation, which has little or no value nowadays. The money saved on buying these electronics will not enough for them to eat for a month outside.

Excellent content which grants us valuable insights. Able to do one on the rental housing policies? Poor, stayed in rental. Work hard, exceeds income cap. Disqualified, rents in open market. Once again, poor.

i really like how this programme is structured. it shows both sides of the coin, then give a very hopeful and positive ending. indeed, there is much in progress...

I'm so darn impressed with the vending machine thingy. Soooooo impressed. And the collaboration between the organizations and the changes made are very impressive as well. Feels great to call myself a Singaporean! :D

God bless the people doing all the work for the hungry!

really doing the great job... hope this kind of sincere things will be happen in the whole world... not only in sgp only... thanks for sharing the kind and love video...

The vending machine idea allowing beneficiaries to purchase food of their choice using a card and the idea of linking up with deliveroo are BRILLIANT. COME ON SINGAPORE, WE CAN DO BETTER TO CLOSE UP THE GAP BETWEEN FOOD INSECURITY AND FOOD WASTAGE.

God bless all these people who help the poor and aged it’s a beautiful thing you are doing stay strong x❤

This is an interesting insight, good job!

I may not live in Singapore 🇸🇬 but this story is the same here in the states. Thanks to those who are apart of this because this applies all over the world.

Excellent report especially about expired date. One late evening in a posh neighbourhood in Singapore, I was eyeing a nice piece of cake on a window cake shop but could not purchase it as the shop was closed. Next moment the shop assistant collect all the pies and cake and throw it in a black bag for disposal. 8 years later I am still thinking about that nice piece of cake, what a waste!

God bless all these lovely caring people ❤

There are so many gizmos now to help open cans. There are pop top openers, jar openers, twist openers and the list goes on. Small cheap blenders would help with fruit or meat for those with no teeth. Soak the crackers in milk, juice, soup or broth to soften. Teaching recipients how to open cans, soften food and blend to make mechanical soft foods would help. When I hurt my wrists I could not open cans, tops, etc. So I got several cheap tools off the internet to help me. One woman I met had about 10 openers of various kinds that she showed me due to arthritis.

Imagine every country being like this towards their poor and needy, there literally wouldn't be any starvation and famine. I admire Singapore ❤

To all these good hearted people... you restore our faith in humanity... may God bless you all abundantly..

Give them a basket. Let them take the food they want. Then there will not be any food waste.

What I like about Singaporeans is this focus on problem solving!!

These people are so fortunate to have this service.

Lord once again I'm very much thankful for the chance of opportunity to work to eat and to support my family. With this video I take it as moral lesson not to take for granted all the things given to me. Please guide me and my family for more obstacles I may be facing in the future that I surely know I will come and conquer. Amen

Good to know more true realities in S'pore !!!

Well done Singapore and Sinagporeans ..... Great example to the world. Keep it up

I have a very good idea for this! They can make 1 check list at the foot of the door: indicates their disabilities and incapabilities (eg no teeth or diabetic) then that way they can ration out the proper food. Then they can also indicate what other food donations they have as well. I also like the weekly house cleaning, it's such that there won't be alot of mess. It's even better that there are volunteers.

I enjoy your show very much. It's very educational.

God bless the volunteers.

Such a meaningful series

Thanks for raising the concern I have for food ration from charitable organization via this video. Charitable vs consideration should be weighed! What is the choice? What is life? What is charity? When the beneficiary is not benefited at all but contribute to more waste and waste of money.

Same in America in some locations. It's because organizations that order meal services for disabled or seniors do not seem to have a data base listing other agencies that also are providing services for food or other assistance, unless it comes from the state. Local churches, community food banks, homeowners associations, city governments and small volunteer groups don't have a clue as to what the person is already getting or is eligible for. And the recipient often will lie or omit information when asked, as they don't want to lose any services, even though they give food away. There should be food drives that will pick up donations of canned foods left over from this kind of thing. I visited a man who had a storeroom filled with food, but he was telling people he had no food. I took him a bag of groceries out of my own pocket, as did the nurse. He was not appreciative, as it was "real" fruits, vegetables, bread, lunchmeat, etc. On my way out, I looked behind the door that led to an undisclosed storeroom. I asked him why he said he had no food (there was enough for him and the entire street for a year). He said, "That's not food. That's for emergencies." I got so angry, but couldn't show it.

Great video. It inspires me to be a volunteer.

great reports! thx CNA!

The solutions suggested is better than I would have suggested All my applause 👏 is on presenter love 💘 ❤ 👏 💕

Great work by the groups involved. Smart country.

I used to live there a while, I love the old Singaporeans, they are friendly and helpful to me. The life is harsh in that beautiful city.

When I was homeless I remember well being given fresh milk and when I asked them to please keep the 2 gallons they took all my food for being ungrateful I was being honest and thinking someone else with access to refridgerator would have beter use for those gallons. I had to walk 12 miles in Florida during summer and had no cooling method. The milk would have gone bad very quickly and would ahve been impossible for me to carry with the other caned items. I thought I was being honest to not take what I could not use but I never made that mistake again. From then on I took what was given and if I couldnt find another to take it later I would dump it...which made me sad but I had to. I wasnt asking for extra I was asking to not get something for the rubbish bin.. It is one thing for people to expect better meals than they could afford on a living wage but quite another to think everything goes. Dont be too fussy or demanding but no one should take offense if asked to not include something

very impressed with FFA.S Nizar.s initiative with the packet food 👍👍👍

I miss Singapore. Hope everyone there safe this pandemic.

Everyone will grow old one day Thats when we ourselves will need help from others Bless all of u NGOs n volunteers bless u keep up your nobel cause 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

In my country you wait in the waiting room & get whats given, it's a pleasure to say thank you 🙂

Nutrition education is so important. Know what to eat should start from young. And parents should be educated what to feed to their children.

This presentation has been good well looked into area Giving has to be thoughtful

I still remember my friends who are from unfortunate family get free meals at school but middle class backgrounds like me have to eat my friends leftover because don't have enough money to buy foods.. Its really a valuable experience

its impressive to see that not only singapore can sustain and provide this level of food aid, they also have a chance to finetune their services as well. volunteer switchboard seems like they have good system for their service. i hope singapore will do better taking care of their own in the future meanwhile the last time i saw elderly receiving aid, the (chinese) elderly seemed like they were abandoned to their own devices with no one taking care of them or checking up on them. this was a ustaz ebit liew video in peninsular msia. i feel that we are so behind and still have to improve our wellfare services :(

I like the part of letting the pple go to pick what they want. Alot of efforts have been taken by the charities... very good ideas for the vending machines n delivery by Deliveroo

Very impressive reporting! But even more impressive are some of the ideas to address these issues, especially the vending machine concept to provide recipients with more choice is very innovative! Singapore has so many good things going for it despite the many challenges!!

2019; why do they have to give so many canned food?! 2020: I NEED THOSE FOOOD NOWWWWWWWWWWWWW

Many good intentions but lack of coordination from donors. Temple gives, Church gives, welfare organisation gives, etc. Duplicates and wastage.

The food truly luxurious in my eyes.. I rarely have fish because it's expensive..

Wait I'm confused. Why does uncle Ho go to the charity kitchen when he could just wait for the meal on wheels?

Teach Your Kids NEVER Waste Your Foods.

The teachers and principals always say "got all this still complaint so much , dont know how to appreciate"

It is difficult to please all...a church I know was offering free lunch everyday...can you imagine when the people receiving complain the food is NOT up to his taste...This is where Vivien's Hawker Center-Foodcourt or Restaurant rings TRUE not that I agree when he said that on the increase of financial help to the NEEDY!!!

Some cities in the USA have a central clearing house for charities. The needy apply once at the central and are given vouchers good for services at the member organizations.

Prosperity trends toward inequality and food wastage. Nice and lovely program Sanjay pune India

This volunteers are the real MP.. they have a good heart to think of others and the best part.. not being paid a single cent for their time and effort even if they are being paid.. dont think it justifies for their contribution. Pls have a thought for all those suffering and in the coming election be prudent and vote wisely. This is for all old and new Singaporeans.

UK food bank got little wastage because Demand > Supply.

Good points. Indeed should try not to duplicate the efforts of giving and end up it still becomes wastage... jia you Singapore, let’s communicate! 🇸🇬 💪🏼💪🏼💪🏼

i think the video is good, introduction, problem, and also solution. nice one

This video highlights how the food system is broken not only in Singapore but in a lot of countries. There is more than enough food being produced in the world but consistent access to the right food is what is driving food poverty. It's a typical problem, the people who are in social systems will be well serviced or over serviced by the local resources. Then the hidden food poverty, people in private renting who do not recieve any publicly funded support are very vulnerable. I really wish I knew what the solution could be, but one basic step is sharing the information across charity groups and in community functions. Like a PSA, so people can approach when they want to.

I’ve heard from friends that some cook food delivery taste horrible. I don’t think anyone expects Michelin award food , however it’s just a suggestion that maybe the cooks can get together and plan new menu for “regular food “they receive once a month.iIt will be helpful to them when they receive the items from the donations. Perhaps that will help them cook easier and surely it will make the recipients will enjoy the food better.

Well Done.👍👍👍

@cna_insider: can do an episode about why aunties/uncles collecting plates at hawker centers and how can we help them. Thanks

The lady who get tired of free food, mix & match & re-cook yourself. Exchange with neighbors! You can still help someone when you are older & poor. (Christian, Buddhist, Muslim teach these same things!)

Some say the free food is too bland. But if the kitchen cater to her request, then it will be too salty for some other people, especially many elderly have hypertension diabetes etc

this charity is really really good

Donating food to the needy and dumping food to the needy are 2 different things

Gosh, they got so many foods than my family! Can i have some?

Passion is not enough to work for the good of the society, volunteers have already done a great job but there are still a lot of aspects they can work on to improve

Probably a program will need to be develop that can track and break down general needs/what food is best for an individual, and breaks it down into a general subcategory to prevent as little food waste as possible, and give more food to families struggling who have multiple kids to feed.

Insightful documentary that show two sides of the coin. It's not about just giving and donating, we also have to think whether the item is suitable. To be honest, regarding variety of the cooked food, I do symphatise with the organisations as sometimes there are limitations to what they can provide in their meals. The purpose of these organisations is to provide a decent meal to meet beneficiaries' needs. But if they have certain wants/ higher expecations, then in life they have to be prepared to pay money for their wants. Not everything is going to be free.

I know they have too much food given to them but they could pass what they don’t want on they could be shown how to eat the food they don’t know I honestly think it’s a wonderful thing what people do to make sure they don’t go hungry it just needs updating so they get what is needed and then there is extra to help others

I moved from Siglap to my new flat in Bt Panjang & it's sad to see youngsters below my flat waste a packet of cooked food(left at the bench) after eating the snacks & drinks.

The vending machine idea would work as they take only what they need or prefer...as well as provide refrigeration

Hoping we have this organization in the Philippines

Well done