Following is a question by Professor the Hon William Wong and a written reply by the Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Mr Tse Chin-wan, in the Legislative Council today (March 25):
 
Question:
 
     There are views that many supermarkets and restaurants discard from time to time food items that are of acceptable quality but near their expiry dates or have damaged packaging; although some non-governmental organisations (NGOs) currently provide food bank services, there is room for improvement in areas such as their service coverage and application of technology. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) whether it has ascertained the current situation regarding food recovery, donation and redistribution in Hong Kong; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
 
(2) as there are views that with an increased proportion of singleton elderly and doubleton elderly households due to the continued ageing of the population in Hong Kong, coupled with rising unemployment rates in certain sectors, the demand for food assistance in Hong Kong is expected to persist, whether the authorities have plans to enhance food recovery and redistribution services, such as offering tax deductions or subsidies to catering and retail enterprises that donate food, as well as providing incentives and assistance to enterprises and private housing courts to encourage them to set up food recovery points and pickup points on their premises;
 
(3) as it is learnt that a public welfare programme of 24-hour self-service food bank has been launched in the Futian District of Shenzhen Municipality, where people can make reservation through "iShenzhen", the Shenzhen Municipal Government's mobile application for government services, and collect food from smart vending machines by scanning a code, whether the Government will draw on the Shenzhen Municipal Government's experiences and collaborate with NGOs providing food bank services to install smart food pickup machines in Hong Kong, and introduce reservation functions for food pickup to the "iAM Smart" mobile application; and
 
(4) as there are views that food bank services can move towards further intelligentisation with the enhanced use of artificial intelligence (AI), such as using AI for dynamic scheduling as well as smart logistics and delivery, optimizing and planning routes for food recovery and replenishment, and utilising AI visual image recognition technologies for surveillance on food safety, or using big data to analyse users' needs and give advice on nutrition intake or recipes, whether the Government will help promote the use of AI in food banks operated by NGOs to enhance the smart functions of local food recovery and redistribution services, thereby improving the overall efficacy and safety of food bank services?

Reply:

President,

     The Environment and Ecology Bureau and the Environmental Protection Department are committed to promoting waste reduction and resources circulation, with the aim of obviating reliance on landfills for municipal solid waste disposal by or before 2035, and are continuously seeking more cost-effective ways to achieve this target.
 
     To explore different approaches to waste reduction, the Environment and Conservation Fund (ECF) has previously piloted funding for local non-profit-making organisations to carry out food recovery projects. Experience shows that as a measure to reduce food waste, food recovery is extremely costly and has limited overall impact on food waste reduction. The ECF has not approved any funding for food recovery since last year. Our waste reduction strategy focuses on publicity and education to encourage waste reduction at source and prevent generation of food waste; expanding the food waste recycling network; and testing different on-site treatment technology to reduce food waste and the amount of waste disposal as a whole more effectively, with a view to achieving the target of obviating reliance on landfills for municipal solid waste disposal by or before 2035.

     The Social Welfare Department (SWD) under the Labour and Welfare Bureau has commissioned seven non-governmental organisations to operate eight Short-term Food Assistance Service Teams (STFASTs) across 18 districts in Hong Kong to help individuals or families who have encountered sudden changes and faced immediate financial hardship to cope with their daily food expenditure through provision of short-term food assistance, including food coupons and in-kind food, for a period not exceeding eight weeks at a time. To enhance service quality, increase food choices, enhance convenience for the service users and promote operational efficiency, the SWD encourages STFASTs to keep abreast of the times and explore the use of digital devices or technologies (such as electronic payments, online platforms, and applications) in providing short-term food assistance services.

Ends/Wednesday, March 25, 2026
Issued at HKT 14:20

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