MoNo Foods: Good food, don’t waste
The founders of this social enterprise speak to us about fighting food waste, supplying quality groceries at fire-sale prices, and the struggles they face while trying to save the planet.
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“Sorry, Leo is resting.” Lorraine Koh, the cofounder of MoNo Foods, told me sheepishly. “We just set up the entire new layout for this pop-up today, and everyone is tired.”
I understood – saving the world on top of holding down a full-time job can be draining. But the cause is well worth it: MoNo Foods is a social enterprise working to combat food waste, the single largest threat to the environment today. They’re the second such organisation in our town that we’ve spoken to, after our friends at treatsure.
Just like treatsure, MoNo channels surplus food from suppliers to consumers at discounted prices, keeping them out of landfills. MoNo’s focus is on over-supplied, imperfect, and close-to-expiry or past-best-by-date foods that are still good to eat.
As I waited for Leo, I took the chance to browse MoNo’s new pop-up at Claymore Connect, a small mall in @OurTanjongPagar. Though it was put together entirely by student volunteers, everything looked professional and well laid out.
I took a closer look, and was surprised by the high quality of items going for such low prices. One can easily get 6 premium chocolates, potato chips, and drinks, for only ~$12.
Leo soon came out, snacking on a bag of Oreos from his store. Once we started speaking, I quickly realised that he is a fount of interesting food industry knowledge that few people know.
“Many big brands shorten their ‘best-by’ dates to boost their sales. Because sales is difficult, the easiest way is to shorten the best-by date. In the past, it could be two years for well-packaged items. But today it’s one year, even though food and packaging technology has advanced to a point where many foods can be kept for a long time.”
Isn’t the best-by date, the use-by date?
I was skeptical, especially when the ‘best-by’ date often seems to be the arbiter of safety. To convince me, he offered me a piece of premium chocolate from his suppliers in Changi Airport that passed its best-by date over a month ago. The rich chocolate melted in my mouth, and the macadamia nuts were still crunchy. I’d be hard-pressed to tell it apart from a fresh piece.
“Bacteria don’t usually eat chocolate because it’s too rich for them. Their outer membranes are one cell thick, which makes it hard for them to really consume such a rich chocolate. Usually it’s still quite safe to consume.”
This is confirmed by the statement on “Best Before” dates on the Singapore Food Agency’s website:
“No food lasts forever however well it is stored. Most pre-packed foods carry either a ‘best before’ or ‘use by’ date. Check them carefully.
– ‘Use by’ dates are for highly perishable food. It can be dangerous to eat food that have passed their ‘use by’ dates.
– ‘Best before’ dates are for food with a longer shelf life. They indicate how long the food will be at its best quality.
Convincing suppliers of his cause
As we went around his store, he offered me pack after pack of the food that he picked up from suppliers over the last few months. Leo is the person who liaises with suppliers to bring in their products. Over the years, he’s worked with major brands like Pepsi, which owns the Lays potato chip brand, as well as retailers like Changi Airport.
But even though MoNo is driven by a noble purpose, convincing these suppliers is not easy. Big brands are always concerned about the risk of reputational damage. They know that all it takes for one viral complaint to cause serious brand damage. Leo has gone through companies where there are eight layers of management approval, from quality assurance, to marketing departments, to sales, before he gets the green light.
The MoNo team also has to make sure their messaging is correct. They have to indicate clearly whenever they sell food items that are past their best-by date (but are still safe to eat) – making it clear to customers that they consume the food at their own risk.
Personally, after sampling so many of MoNo’s past-best-by-date offerings that day, I see no real risk. Most of them taste just as good as their fresher counterparts, with only a few being slightly less than optimal (perhaps a tiny bit stale), but still perfectly edible.
Struggling to survive amidst cost pressures
Both Lorraine and Leo have full-time jobs. Leo sells property, and Lorraine works as a retail specialist. That afternoon, Leo had just come from across the border in Johor Bahru, tired out after attending several unit viewings there.
When I asked whether the fatigue is worth it despite their success, Leo quickly corrected me.
“We are not successful. We are struggling to survive. Rental in Singapore is expensive, and we’ve managed to survive because of the landlord’s kindness in offering spaces at a reduced rate.
We’re barely covering our costs.”
Driven by an appreciation of good food
So what keeps them going despite so many hurdles?
We just want more people to recognise that this is good food, and that we should not waste it.
This simple love of quality food and a warm-hearted desire to share it with more people are what keep the MoNo team steadfast in their efforts.
It’s easy to see why we should all support them.
Even with the relatively higher buying power in Singapore, many of us wouldn’t regularly buy premium snacks like chocolate-coated macadamia nuts that retail for $16 a pack. Thanks to the substantial discounts MoNo offers, we can enjoy better and healthier eats more frequently while contributing to the overall health of the planet. Seems like a good deal if the only trade-off is a little bit of freshness.
Besides food, they also try to be sustainable in whatever little ways they can. As we wrapped up the interview, Leo pointed out a bicycle in a corner of their storeroom. “We used to cycle to charge our batteries. All in the name of sustainability,” he grinned.
Walking away I felt strongly that MoNo Foods is run by great people with pure intentions to improve the environment and their community. And we can all help keep their vision alive simply by making a few tasty purchases every now and again.
How about it? Are you ready to order?
Visit MoNo at their upcoming pop-up from 6 to 19 April at One Raffles Place, and their two pop-ups in Claymore Connect Level 1, or at Tekka Place, Serangoon Rd, B1-21/22/23/24.
