Stretching Your Sara Rm100 Cut Waste Eat Healthier Save More

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PICTURE 3,500 Petronas Twin Towers stacked by weight. That’s how much food we wasted globally in 2022: a staggering 1.05 billion tonnes.
In Malaysia, we throw away 17,000 tonnes of food every day, and almost a quarter of it is still edible. That’s enough to feed three million people three meals a day—even as households struggle with rising grocery bills.

Food waste isn’t just about tossing out leftovers. It’s a triple threat to our economy, environment, and food security. Globally, wasted food is responsible for 8%–10% of greenhouse gas emissions.
It also wastes the resources used to produce, transport and prepare food, like land, water, energy, and labour.
Households are Malaysia’s biggest food wasters
Many assume hotels and buffets are the worst offenders, but the truth is food waste begins at home.
A study by Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) showed that households account for 38.2% of the nation’s food waste—more than hotels, restaurants, or markets.

Wet and night markets contribute 24.5%, food courts and restaurants 23.4%, and hotels 6.9%.
Smarter shopping, mindful eating
(Image: Selangor travel)Researchers from Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) also found that half of all household food waste comes from spoilage and loss of freshness. Planning meals, buying only what’s needed, and repackaging bulk groceries into smaller portions can save families money.

Through World Vision Malaysia’s Eat Right to Play Right programme, we teach parents in People’s Housing Programme (PPR) to reduce food waste.
They learn to plan menus based on the Malaysian Food Pyramid 2020, portion meals correctly, and store food safely. The approach reduces waste and lowers grocery bills.
Eating habits also matter. Rice, noodles, and vermicelli make up nearly 75% of plate waste, while vegetables—which Malaysians already eat too little of—are often discarded.
The National Health and Morbidity Survey 2023 found 95.1% of adults don’t consume enough fruits and vegetables.
This reflects poor dietary habits and contributes to unnecessary food waste. One simple solution is to eat mindfully and stick to the recommended portion sizes. It helps families save money and lowers the risk of obesity and related health issues.

Reducing food waste for a sustainable food system
(Image: Bernama)In a world where food is abundant, 673 million people still go to bed hungry. This highlights a key truth: hunger is not just a food production issue—it’s a poverty and access issue.
In Malaysia, groups like The Lost Food Project, Food Aid Foundation and Yayasan Food Bank rescue surplus food from supermarkets, hotels and markets, redistributing it to vulnerable communities. We can support them through donations, volunteering, or partnerships.

Reducing food waste is key to building a sustainable food system. It will provide nutrition and food security for all without compromising our economy, environment, or social equity.
World Vision Malaysia’s experience shows that when families are equipped with knowledge and skills to manage their food resources, they can redirect savings to essentials such as education — helping to break cycles of poverty.
Beyond the RM100 SARA aid
To ease the people’s cost of living, the Malaysian government recently provided a one-off RM100 Sumbangan Asas Rahmah (SARA) to all individuals aged 18 and above.
While the RM100 aid received mixed reactions, preventing food waste is key to making sure that aid stretches at least 25% further.

As we spend our SARA aid, we should remember that preventing waste is as important as bargain-hunting.
“Every Ringgit saved from preventing waste is a ringgit earned back for the family,” said World Vision Malaysia.
“When we shop, cook and eat responsibly, we’re not just nourishing ourselves—we’re contributing to a more sustainable food system for Malaysia’s future.”
Ang Zheng Feng is the Health and Nutrition Officer at World Vision Malaysia.

The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.
- Focus Malaysia.

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