18 December 2020 – The Dairy Farm Group, who owns retail supermarkets Giant and Cold Storage, today announced a partnership with The Food Bank Singapore to launch Better Together, a first-of-its-kind food donation drive focused on providing daily necessities and more nutritious products to families in need. The partnership kicks off with 10 pilot stores* across Cold Storage and Giant, with a view to roll out island-wide over the next few months. Dairy Farm will kick start the initiative with a donation of 10,000 meals to The Food Bank Singapore’s beneficiaries – a target the initiative hopes to achieve with the help of customers every month.

Better Together combines the scale and reach of Dairy Farm supermarkets, and The Food Bank Singapore’s extensive network and expertise with food donations which supports 370 organisations, serving over 100,000 families.

CLOSING THE NUTRITIONAL GAP IN FOOD DONATIONS

According to The Hunger Report 2019, a study commissioned by The Food Bank Singapore conducted by the Singapore Management University Lien Centre for Social Innovation, 10.4% of Singaporean households experienced food insecurity – defined as when a household does not have access to food for a healthy life – at least once in 12 months. This is despite Singapore being ranked by the Economist Intelligence Unit as the most food-secure nation in the world on the Global Food Security Index in 2019. 

Better Together aims to close the gap between current food donations and families in need. The initiative complements existing food donation efforts by focusing on nutrition, providing vulnerable families with the long-term dietary requirements key to support healthy living.

Chris Bush, Dairy Farm Chief Executive Officer for Southeast Asia Food Business said: “As a leading food retailer, food insecurity is naturally an issue close to our hearts and we know that this year will be particularly challenging for many families. Therefore, we are partnering with The Food Bank Singapore to join hands with our customers to ensure that vulnerable families in our communities have access to not only essential food products, but products with higher nutrition for a healthier lifestyle

“With stores located island-wide providing easy access to products and collection points, we are hoping to make it easier for customers to participate so we can make an even bigger impact for families in need.” Nichol Ng, Co-Founder of The Food Bank Singapore said “Food insecurity is associated with physical and mental health detriments such as stress and depression, and often, food-insecure households
prioritise affordability over nutritional value of food. We are proud to partner with Dairy Farm to increase the awareness of food insecurity in Singapore so that we might narrow the gap on food support to feed Singapore better together.”

INSPIRING ACTION

Customers will be encouraged to join the food donation drive with clear in-store communication on the initiative as well as the products needed by The Food Bank Singapore’s beneficiaries. Clearly marked collection points are available at participating Cold Storage and Giant outlets for customers to drop off their donations, making it simple for customers to participate.

Chris Bush added, “To help drive awareness of the initiative, we have enhanced the in-store experience to allow customers to learn more about food insecurity, making for a much more meaningful grocery shopping experience. We truly believe it’s the little things that make a giant difference, and hope that they will join us in bringing much-needed food essentials to families in need who do not have the luxury of choice when it comes to everyday groceries. Alone we can only do so little but together we can do so much more!”

For more information on Better Together, visit coldstorage.com.sg/foodbank or giant.sg/foodbank