Dubai’s dnata partners with Blue Aqua to boost food security in Singapore

Dubai-based air services provider dnata has signed an MoU with Blue Aqua Food Tech (Blue Aqua) to boost food security in Singapore.

Blue Aqua will upcycle organic waste from dnata’s catering and ground handling operations into alternative insect protein for aquafeeds.

Blue Aqua’s bioconversion solution processes underutilized nutrients from the leftovers that can be transformed into insect proteins for aquacultural use. The initiative makes the insect protein a sustainable and efficient alternative to traditional fishmeal.

Compared to traditional protein, insect protein is a sustainable solution due to a low land, water, and carbon footprint, offering a very high yield. The partnership will supply Singapore’s farmers with sustainable access to domestically produced animal feed, which is otherwise imported.

A statement issued by dnata added that the MoU is the starting point to a deeper partnership between itself and Blue Aqua, which will look into the development and implementation of a ‘Zero Waste’ master plan. Dnata will also add Blue Aqua to its list of suppliers to purchase locally farmed seafood for its catering operations.

“Blue Aqua has been a strong advocate for sustainable and practical farming since its inception. We are excited to grow our efforts in food technology to develop a circular economy in aquaculture globally through our network, starting with Singapore,” said Dr Farshad Shishehchian, CEO and founder of Blue Aqua International Group.

Dirk Goovaerts, dnata’s regional CEO for Asia Pacific, added: “We are delighted to partner with Blue Aqua to further decrease food waste and support the local food production supply chain.”

Singapore imports more than 90 per cent of its food, yet, its food waste amounts to 744,000 tonnes annually. Today, less than 20 per cent of Singapore’s food waste is recycled.

Blue Aqua’s Waste-to-Protein Programme aims to significantly reduce food waste across Singapore’s food supply chain through aquaculture. It is in line with Singapore’s vision of being a ‘Zero Waste Nation’, which means the recycling rate has to be increased to 70 per cent. Singapore has also set a “30 by 30” goal, aiming to have the nation produce 30 per cent of its food domestically by 2030. With this mandate, aquaculture will play an important role in the future of Singapore’s food security. However, local farms still rely heavily on imported feed and raw materials, which the programme intends to mitigate.

The global population is expected to reach 9.9 billion by 2050, and food production has to increase by 70 per cent to fulfil that demand.

Earlier this month, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, launched the first phase of a new initiative called Food Tech Valley in Dubai that seeks to triple the UAE’s food production. The initiative will include a smart food logistics hub, R&D facilities as well as agricultural technology and engineering labs.

Read: Sheikh Mohammed launches Food Tech Valley in Dubai