Food not going to waste
Traders give unsold surplus to the needy
KUALA LUMPUR: While traders will try their best to sell off their food for the day, they know that there will be days when they are left with surplus that will only go bad very quickly.
So, rather than letting their food go to waste, traders at a Ramadhan Bazaar in Lembah Pantai will give their unsold perishable food to anyone in need.
Trader Mohd Azli Ahmad Tajuddin, 35, is happy doing the deed believing that he will receive something even more meaningful in return.
Mohd Azli, who has been selling roti John for six years, also takes comfort in knowing that there are organisations that collect unsold food to be distributed to the needy.
He said every year, he gladly gives away his unsold food to these organisations.
“Traders sometimes have to deal with a surplus and I don’t regret giving the unsold food away for free. It doesn’t go to waste,” he said.
Mohd Azli joined the MySaveFood@ Ramadan programme this year, an initiative by SWCorp Malaysia, Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI), Pertubuhan Pemuda GEMA Malaysia, and the Ampang Jaya Municipal Council to educate and raise awareness on curbing food wastage. Programme volunteers collect the leftover food from traders and distribute them to the needy.
Even new traders like Mohd Nurahimi Norani, 32, who mans a nasi kerabu stall is supporting the programme.
Mohd Nurahimi said he had given away food packets for student food banks or other similar causes.
“It’s better to donate the food rather than waste it, especially during the holy month of Ramadan,” he said.
It is not only the traders who get a good feeling from doing charity as it also warms the hearts of the volunteers.
Jack Jiang, an 18-year-old student from China, joined MySaveFood@Ramadan volunteers for the first time on Saturday and found it to be a rewarding experience.
“We have similar programmes back home, in which some restaurants would keep food in a refrigerator outside so that anyone who cannot afford to buy food will be able take it for free,” he said.
Another volunteer, Asyraf Syafiq Aref, 28, said they managed to collect about 68kg of food and about 165kg of drink packets on Saturday night’s outing.
“We weigh the food and distribute it to nearby mosques as well as underprivileged families living in the Lembah Pantai People’s Housing Project flats,” he said.