Shalom Hills International School

Class – IX
Unseen Passage

Food Waste: 1 in 4 Buys More Food than Needed (Adapted)

Samantha Boh, The Straits Times (2015)

Food wastage had increased in the past few years, with the average person in Singapore dumping about
146Kg of food or the equivalent of 29 packs of rice.

According to a survey commissioned by the National Environment Agency (NEA), one in four people admitted
to buying more food than is needed. Most of them do so to ensure household members have ‘more than
enough’ to eat.

The 2015 poll results of 1,016 people, conducted from January to July, can be seen in the graphic given.

To encourage people to cut food wastage, the NEA launched a campaign using posters and educational videos
that compare the cost of food wastage and what the money could be spent on otherwise. These were shown
on digital and mobile media platforms, at bus shelters, in newspapers and on television.

Studies also showed that consumers tend to shop on impulse-buying food items on promotion- instead of
referring to checklists and meal plans. The campaign thus included customized educational materials on how
to reduce food wastage at home. An online guide with suggestions on things such as meal planning was also
made available.

Food accounts for one-tenth of all waste produced in Singapore. About 788,600 tonnes of food was thrown
away in 2014, slightly less than the 796,000 tonnes in 2013, but more than the 606,100 tonnes in 2009. Only
13 percent of food waste from 2014 was recycled. The government officials believe that greater receptiveness
by industries and the public towards providing and accepting food donations would also be a step in the right
direction.
 i. Pick the option listing the correct statement(s) with respect to the 2015 survey conducted by the NEA.
1) Half of the people throw away their eatables due to expiration.
2) About a quarter of people tend to buy more than their food requirements.
3) Four-fifth of the people prefer to eat at home.
4) Most people do not feel that buying food leads to wastage of money.
a) 1), 2), 4)
b) 2), 3)
c) 1), 3), 4)
d) 1), 4)
ii. Identify the option that correctly states how many people admitted to stocking up more food than
necessary.
a) A quarter of Singapore’s population
b) 4% of Singapore’s population
c) 4 out of every 10 people that took the survey
d) Slightly more than 250 people who took the survey
iii. Choose the option that has the graph number that correctly depicts the ration of food wastage.

a) Figure (1)
b) Figure (2)
c) Figure (3)
d) Figure (4)
iv. Identify the option that projects the most sustainable and practical ways of overcoming the issue of
food wastage.
1) Sending extra food from ceremonial celebrations to NGOs that distribute food among the hungry.
2) Confirming one’s presence at any event beforehand to help arrange exact quantity of food.
3) Eating only non-processed food.
 4) Buying food in quantities required.
5) Putting preservatives in all the food one makes.
a) 1), 4), and 5)
b) 2), 3), and 4)
c) 1), 3), and 5)
d) 1), 2), and 4)
v. For a public awareness poster on food wastage,, choose the slogan which is MOST suitable
a) Today’s dream is tomorrow’s reality!
b) If you can’t finish it, share it!
c) Fight for the right!
d) Freedom of speech is our birth right!
vi. Pick the option that depicts the means of communication opted by NEA to run the food wastage
prevention campaign.
a) Spread the word through mandatory workshops in schools and colleges.
b) Spread the word using mass media platforms.
c) Spread the word by organising conferences and events about the same.
d) Spread the word by organising fundraisers.
vii. The quote that sits appropriately with the central idea of the passage would be
a) Your body is not a trash can
b) A foodie is a moody.
c) Buy what you can eat.
d) Eat clean, live healthy.
viii. Studies claimed that the customers shopped food items on promotion even when they didn't require
it. This depicts that people are influenced by……………
a) famous people
b) advertisements
c) brand labels
d) their friends
ix. Choose the option which correctly enumerates the examples of food wastage.
1) Buying snacks from the supermarket
2) Leaving food on plates at restaurants
3) Throwing out dry fruit wrappers
4) Not finishing packed food items before expiry
5) Throwing away water in which fruits are washed
a) (2) and (5)
b) (2) and (4)
c) (1) and (4)
d) (3) and (4)
x. Choose the option that depicts a CORRECT statement about the food waste generated in Singapore in
the year 2014.
a) The waste produced was almost double the waste produced in 2009.
b) Only fourteen percent of the waste produced was recycled.
 c) The waste produced was less than the waste produced in 2013.
d) It was a total of seven lakh tonnes of food.
xi. Pope Francis said that "Throwing away food is like..........”
Based on the given passage, complete the saying above.
a) discarding and dispelling all the negativity from your body.
b) stealing from the table of those who are poor and hungry.
c) cleaning your house from the unwanted junk lying around.
d) giving yourself an excuse to work out and eat healthy food.