Less food wasted, more sharing since shutdown, says Fomca

PETALING JAYA: Consumer associations for the first time are seeing a change in eating and spending habits among consumers after the movement control order was imposed.

Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations president Marimuthu Nadason said there had been a lot of food wastage on the first week after MCO. “People were still eating a lot and still wasting a lot of food,” he told FMT.

But now, he said based on public feedback, consumers seem to have a greater appreciation of the value of food and there is less waste.

“They are being cautious of the food they have, wasting less with some eating less as compared to the first week of MCO,” said Marimuthu who is noting a change after 40 years in consumer advocacy.

Last year, the Solid Waste Management and Public Cleansing Corporation said Malaysians waste about 16,688 tonnes of food per day, an amount that can easily provide three meals a day to about 2.2 million people.

Marimuthu said his association is hoping to get bigger funding to spread the importance of reducing food wastage. “We need to appreciate food. This is what we are seeing during the Covid-19 crisis,” he added.

Marimuthu further said the first one week of the MCO saw a lot of consumers in a panic mode about not having enough food for their family.

“But now they know there is enough food available at grocery stores. If they cannot get bread from one store there will get it from another,” he added.

There is also plenty of fish, meat and vegetables at wet markets and supernarkets, he added.

Consumers Association of Subang and Shah Alam president Jacob George, said they have noticed people digging deeper into their pockets to help the poor.

“People tell my association members that this pandemic is teaching them to value food. Malaysians are helping total strangers along the roadside, to give food to the poor.

“Despite the hard times, they give what little they have to migrant workers and poor Malaysians, with two packets of fried rice or noodle packets while packing their own food,” he said.

In the last couple of years, he said more of those in the middle-income group have struggled to make a decent income, with some taking up two jobs such as e-hailing to make additional money.

“People have been struggling and with Covid-19, people especially the M40 and B40 are becoming more aware of valuing food,” he added. - FMT