By Chai Xin Jie
Food waste is an obvious issue in a world of both plenty and hunger. A massive amount of food that could be eaten is thrown away daily. This impacts the earth and makes food insecurity worse. However, there is a bright side: more and more social businesses are starting up with the only goal of fighting food waste. Food waste impacts people and the earth. These new enterprises not only fix those problems but also help make the future more fair and sustainable.
WormingUp, an environmentally-friendly social enterprise that aims to upcycle food waste into food. It was established in 2015 by Jeff Wee Hung Yee and his college friend, Tan Pei Chin from Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas). It is guided by four key Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Zero Hunger, Quality Education, Responsible Consumption and Production, and Partnerships for The Goals. These SDGs served as a framework for their operations, ensuring that Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) align with their mission and values.
Jeff said that the inspiration for establishing this social enterprise was a lot of organic waste being abandoned at the university when he was a university student. Therefore, he aims to take this to establish organic waste management because the organic waste is rung when sent to the landfill.
Jeff talked about the challenges of social enterprise and pointed out that many people get it wrong - it is a combination of a business and an NGO. Jeff runs an NGO-like business, selling goods to raise funds for projects so they do not have to rely on donations alone. Their constant task is to make this concept wider.
WormingUp has also set up a sustainable food supply chain that links farmers directly to consumers, ensuring efficient and sustainable market access. As a result, a store is opened in Padungan, Kuching, where people can buy banana and tapioca chips made in the area.
The employee of WormingUp teaches villagers how to fry tapioca chips. Photo by Chai Xin Jie
An employee of WormingUp, Felliciti Edang Jeffry Lenyap said that they are looking into ways to process food and surplus to make products like banana chips and tapioca chips that are more valuable and reduce waste.
“The sales of our banana and tapioca chips are an aspect of our Community Learning & Sharing (CLS) initiative, which seeks to strengthen rural communities, particularly women who lack additional sources of income. Through learning to produce banana and tapioca chips, they can sell all these products through their own channel or through our retail store to enhance their livelihood,” she said.
“This project aligns with SDG No.2, aiming to provide nutritious and shelf-stable food for the public using available supplies. Additionally, it supports SDG No.12 by upcycling resources like bananas and tapioca into valuable products such as chips, thereby reducing waste and providing a food source for consumers,” Felliciti said.
A villager of Kampung Gerdung, Lynsie Namud Jamang said that they saw an opportunity to join the project to learn and use extra raw materials to make more valuable goods, which would help them stay financially stable and pay their bills.
“After participating in this project, many women in the community are determined to use the skills they've learned to make money for their families." They now see value in things they used to throw away and are working to reduce food waste while also getting ahead financially. Finding new uses for leftover fruits like bananas and tapioca helps the environment and brings people together through shared activities and group learning,” Lynsie said.
“After learning from the project, people from nearby villages were interested in learning how to make banana and tapioca chips. They find our products delicious and crispy, and they’ve asked if I can teach them. I agreed to share what I've learned with them when I go to their village,” she said.
The WormingUp’s co-founder, Tan Pei Chin said that customers can buy local goods like banana chips or tapioca chips made by women in their community or place orders ahead of time.
“As consumers, it’s crucial to take responsibility for reducing food waste. Whether by repurposing edible leftovers through frying or composting inedible scraps, every action contributes to a more sustainable society and environment,” Tan said.
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