Five million meals and counting

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) students donating essential items to flood victims in Johor.

Food rescue non-governmental organisation (NGO) The Lost Food Project (TLFP) has provided five million meals to charities and B40 families since its inception in 2016 until the end of last year.

As an independent food bank, TLFP works with wholesalers, food manufacturers and numerous supermarkets to “rescue” quality, nutritious surplus food as well as non-food items from going to the landfill, and redistributes them to those in need.

To date, TLFP has rescued 1.6 million kilogrammes of food and prevented 3.02 million kilogrammes of greenhouse gas emissions from being released into the atmosphere.

Despite the challenges related to the Covid-19 pandemic and movement control order, which left at-risk communities in rural and urban areas more vulnerable than ever, TLFP pressed on and doubled its efforts to ensure that those in most need did not go without.

With increasing food insecurity caused by the economic slowdown, TLFP continued to seek new partnerships and initiatives with local restaurants and multinational companies — including P&G, DKSH, Nestle, Colgate Palmolive and Unilever — to serve the unprecedented demand.

TLFP provided 32,719 packs of cooked meals since the first MCO in March last year.

The NGO also distributed over 458,340kg of essential food and thousands of hygiene products such as soaps, sanitisers and face masks to those in need.

It provided a lifeline to more than 60 charities and six low-cost housing communities across the Klang Valley as well as six charity homes in Johor Baru throughout the crisis.

TLFP also provided additional food assistance to low-income families in Sabah impacted by the Covid-19 surge last October and flood disaster victims in Johor at the end of last year.

Its general manager Mohd Syazwan said, “We are immensely grateful for the overwhelming support we received last year.

“Every volunteer, donor and partner has provided a vital service in helping us rise through extreme pressures to serve those who have been hit hardest.

“And we are committed to being where we are needed most by continuing to work to mobilise resources to keep pace with the rising need for food and necessities.”

For details, visit www.thelostfoodproject.org/