Why Hong Kong Must Prioritize Food Recovery

Prioritising Poverty Alleviation and the Role of Hong Kong Universities

The recent financial secretary’s 2026-27 budget, which reported a surplus of HK$2.9 billion in the consolidated account, presents a significant opportunity to focus on targeted poverty alleviation for the city’s most vulnerable residents. While the government celebrates a return to fiscal health, frontline data indicates that the social safety net for grassroots communities remains under immense strain.

A recent survey conducted by the Food Commons Foundation between January 21 and February 3, involving 103 beneficiaries—most of whom are senior citizens—highlights a looming crisis. If community food recovery services were suspended due to the termination of government subsidies, 68.9 per cent of these individuals warned that their life stress would surge to a “breaking point.” For our elderly on limited budgets, food recovery is not merely an environmental gesture; it is a critical economic lifeline.

The economic impact is tangible: 50.5 per cent of the surveyed households save more than HK$500 monthly on groceries, including 13.6 per cent who save more than HK$1,000. In a city with soaring living costs, these savings are often redirected to life-saving medication or essential daily supplies. Beyond the numbers, 93.2 per cent of the respondents reported improved nutrition through fresh vegetables, while all of them said the recovery process provided them with a sense of care and dignity in their twilight years.

While the government continues to prioritise massive capital investment in hardware, such as the O-PARK2 organic waste treatment facility, it should not overlook the multiplier effect of community-based initiatives. Our analysis shows that every HK$1 invested in food recovery programmes yields around HK$6.50 worth of nutritious food for the needy. This is a highly cost-effective model of precision poverty alleviation that combines environmental goals with social welfare.

We urge the administration to sustain street market recovery projects that provide both environmental benefits and vital community support for the elderly. To stand in solidarity with our seniors, we invite the public to join our Food Save Walkathon on March 15 in Tai Wai. Let us walk together to ensure that Hong Kong’s fiscal surplus is translated into tangible dignity for all residents.

The Evolution of Hong Kong’s Higher Education

In recent years, Hong Kong’s university sector has seen a quiet but significant shift: an evolution from a system deeply rooted in Western educational traditions to one with growing ties to mainland China.

Pre-1997, Hong Kong’s publicly funded universities were fully aligned with Commonwealth and Western academic systems, with minimal interaction with mainland Chinese universities. They boasted strong international links, academic freedom, and global mobility thanks to faculty educated in countries such as the United States, Britain, Canada, or Australia.

Today, top mainland Chinese universities such as Tsinghua, Peking, Fudan, and Shanghai Jiao Tong have achieved world-class status in research, international cooperation, and influence, backed by a stable talent pool, robust national innovation support, and vast industrial application scenarios, raising a key question for Hong Kong’s higher education: separation or deeper integration? The clear answer is that integration is the only win-win path.

Hong Kong’s strengths—the international environment, free information flow, and global networks—complement the mainland’s advantages of scale, resources, and strategic support. Integration is already in motion, with Hong Kong universities admitting outstanding mainland students yearly and more Hong Kong youth studying and working on the mainland before returning to contribute to Hong Kong’s academia and management.

A critical gap persists, though: inadequate national identity and civic education. Since 1997, many young people in Hong Kong have had extensive global exposure but still lack a solid grasp of the country’s history and development, developing an unclear or distorted sense of identity which conflicts with “one country, two systems” and undermines Hong Kong’s long-term interests.

As Hong Kong is an inalienable part of China and the nation’s international window, the city’s universities must nurture talent for national development. Going forward, they should uphold three principles: preserve their international character and academic freedom; deepen substantive cooperation with mainland universities in research, talent training, and innovation; and strengthen national education to help youth build a clear, confident, and rational Chinese identity.

Hong Kong need not choose between East and West; it can and should be a global city with strong national roots. Only through integration, mutual understanding, and shared development can its higher education retain excellence and serve the long-term interests of both Hong Kong and the country.