‘Almost half of municipal waste is discarded food’
I welcome this initiative because 40 per cent of our municipal waste is food waste, particularly those from restaurants. This (food waste) comprises leftovers and the items thrown away during food preparations.
KUCHING: Forty per cent of the total municipal waste in Sarawak comprises food waste from restaurants.
In disclosing this, Assistant Minister of Local Government Datu Dr Penguang Manggil says this is despite the many initiatives meant to reduce food waste.
As such, he welcomes the federal government’s proposal to draft a law on food waste, aimed at putting a stop to the habit of wasting food among Malaysians.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, in declaring the closing of the Malaysian Agriculture, Horticulture and Agro-Tourism Exhibition (Maha) 2018 in Serdang yesterday, said this law would be formulated upon the completion of a study.
She also said the government would consider imposing fines on diners at hotels and restaurants who waste food.
“I welcome this initiative because 40 per cent of our municipal waste
Datu Dr Penguang Manggil, Assistant Minister of Local Government
is food waste, particularly those from restaurants. This ( food waste) comprises leftovers and the items thrown away during food preparations,” he said.
However, Penguang said to enforce such law, it would require in- depth studies particularly on the mechanism of its implementation.
“Prior to formulating such a law, public awareness, education and civic-mindedness are crucial. There are millions of people in other parts of the world who are suffering from food shortage and poverty,” he said.
It was said that on average, a Malaysian throws away almost a kilogramme of food daily.
It is also reported that the federal government, through the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs, would implement the Malaysian Food Bank Programme to address the issue of food waste in shopping centres.
The programme, to be implemented nationwide beginning early next year, would have food surplus obtained from hypermarkets such as bread, vegetables and fruits, to be distributed to those in need.
France is touted as being the first economy in the world to ban supermarkets from throwing away unconsumed food. It is way ahead of other countries, including the US, in that it is also the first country to force supermarkets to donate unsold food to charities and food banks.
France earned top ranking in the ‘ 2017 Food Sustainability Index’ – a poll on 25 countries across Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and the Americas conducted by the Economist and Barilla Center for Food and Nutrition Foundation ( BCFN).
Food waste, or unused edible food, remains a global issue. Every year, some 1.3 billion metric tonnes – or one-third of all the food produced – is thrown away, according to United Nations ( UN) Food and Agriculture Organisation.