MALAYSIANS must refrain from wasting food because there are others who are in need of a proper meal, the Lost Food Project (LFP) said.

The charity added that 4,000 tonnes of edible food is wasted every day in Malaysia. The statistics are worse during the Ramadan period, with a 30% bump in waste.

LFP chief executive officer Ariffin Buranudeen said the bulk of this waste comes from celebrations, events, buffets etc, while 25% comes from households.

“The food wasted denies someone else the nutrition they deserve. Eat, but don’t waste.

“That’s why we need to fulfil our purpose of feeding the hungry and not the landfills,” he told The Malaysian Insight.

The LFP is a non-profit food bank committed to redistributing surplus food and non-food essentials to more than 80 civil society groups and thousands of B40 families.

Ariffin said the number of recipients needing food aid has grown 30% in the past 12 months.

“In 2022, we saved 16,000 tonnes of food. In 2021, it was 12,000 tonnes.

“Meanwhile, we are currently aiding 20,000 recipients a month.”

Ariffin said that in March – the LFP’s highest collection month to date – the team had “rescued” 233,000kg of fruit and vegetables from Kuala Lumpur wholesale market, 8,400kg of fresh produce, 8,100kg of bakery products, 13,100kg of dry groceries, and 1,100kg of meat and seafood.

“Food is available everywhere. They (people) can see the food, but they can’t buy it.

“The issue is whether the people can afford it and this leads to the issue of poverty,” Ariffin said.

He said that according to the global hunger index, Malaysia has the moderate rank of 40 out of 117 countries.

“Yet, we are not moderate if people can’t afford to buy food, so we have to address the issue of poverty then we can address the food availability issue,” he said adding that B40 people can save on expenses if they are receiving their food from the LFP.

Food distribution

Ariffin said that LFP was providing food for about 80 civil society groups and recipients at eight low-cost housing areas around Kuala Lumpur.

He said most of LFP’s food is sourced from about 30 corporate donors, who give surplus or sponsor the dry goods.

“We also have a team here that “rescue” bread from the bakeries. We collect the food at night and pass it on to the B40, students, low-cost housing or those on the streets.

“At least 60% of the food collected, fruit and vegetables, comes from Kuala Lumpur wholesale market.

“We have a team of five people stationed there in two lorries every day. This team is sponsored by Sime Darby Foundation.”

He said that they have about nine staff managing the centre with about 200 volunteers a month to help. – April 21, 2023.