Dubai’s Dnata Partners with Blue Aqua on Singapore food security solution

The initiative will supply Singapore’s farmers with domestically produced animal feed, which is otherwise imported

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

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

Blue Aqua’s bioconversion solution transforms unused nutrients from leftovers and transforms them into insect proteins for aquacultural use. The initiative makes the insect protein a sustainable and efficient alternative to traditional fishmeal due to its minimal carbon footprint and high yield.

A statement issued by Dnata added that the MoU is the starting point to a deeper partnership with Blue Aqua, which will involve the development and implementation of a ‘Zero Waste’ master plan and adding Blue Aqua to its list of seafood suppliers for its catering operations.

Commenting on the announcement, Blue Aqua International Group CEO and founder Dr Farshad Shishehchian said:  “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.” 

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

Initiatives like this are crucial for Singapore as 90% of its food is imported and its food waste amounts to 744,000 tonnes annually. Currently, less than 20% 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. This is in line with Singapore’s vision of being a ‘Zero Waste Nation’, which aims to increase the recycling rate to 70%. Singapore has also set a “30 by 30” goal, aiming to produce 30% of its food domestically by 2030.