Abstract

This article examines the history of the meaning of “food security” in Singapore in the context of a food-related campaign: the 1967 “Eat More Wheat” campaign. The aim of this article is to document the history of this campaign and explore its agenda in terms of its approach to propagating an understanding of what is now called “food security.” This case study will be analyzed from historical, cultural, and policy perspectives using archival and media source materials. This case study is used both to assess the performance of the government agenda associated with this campaign and deepen understanding of the implications and consequences that this campaign had for evolving notions of “food security” within the Singaporean context. An additional aim is to encourage other locales to be more reflective about examining their own food security measures by using broader historical and cultural perspectives and methods instead of judging their success (or failure) based on economics alone.