Malaysian Government to Distribute Surplus Food to Curb Food Wastage

The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security announced that it will be taking steps to curb excessive “food wastage” in restaurants and hotels this year.

In a Daily Express report, Deputy Minister Chan Foong Hin said that food inequality in the country is a serious problem.

“We are facing situations where the less fortunate are hoping for donations so they can eat,” he said.

According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), about one-third of all the food produced worldwide goes to waste and negatively impacts the environment.

“As the world’s population continues to grow, our challenge should not be how to grow more food, but to feed more people while wasting less of what we already produce,” the organisation wrote on its website.

Since many Malaysians are unable to meet their daily nutritional needs, Chan will be partnering with several organistions to distribute surplus food.

“We will focus on channeling surplus food for those who need it. The concept is more or less similar to a food bank,” he said.

“The Ministry will study the suggestion and we will see how to manage the problem,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (Mardi) will be launching “MySaveFood,” an initiative that aims to raise awareness about food wastage.