Minimise food waste during Ramadan, KL bazaar traders told

A Kuala Lumpur City Hall sign in the city centre which says food distribution should only be carried out at designated spots. — Filepic

THE Malaysian Federation of Hawkers and Petty Traders Association wants Ramadan bazaar traders to prevent food wastage.

Association president Datuk Seri Rosli Sulaiman said that traders should reduce the amount of food prepared.

“Last year, so much unsold food was dropped off at mosques and homeless areas or ended up in the bins,’’ said Rosli who is also Federal Territory Bumiputera Traders Association president.

He advised traders to lower their expectations of sales and be prudent, adding that they should focus on quality rather than quantity.

Rosli also noted that the number of Ramadan bazaar lots in Kuala Lumpur had dropped by 40%.

“This could be a result of people preferring to run their food delivery business from home,’’ he said.

He added that prime locations such as Masjid India, Lorong Tuanku Abdul Rahman and UTC Sentul would continue to draw a crowd.

Meanwhile, Food Bank Foundation Malaysia chief executive officer Ab Wahab Long said there must be better coordination between government agencies, NGOs and soup kitchens when distributing food.

“There has to be a designated food distribution centre where volunteers can drop off and pick up food collected from Ramadan bazaars to the needy,” he added.

Ab Wahab said traders would know by 5pm if there was a surplus and suggested a second trip at 7pm to collect what was remaining for sahur.

“We have been planning to do this for some time but government bureaucracy gets in the way.”

It was reported that Kuala Lumpur City Hall had identified 72 Ramadan bazaar sites with 5,000 lots this year.

Ramadan food bazaars started yesterday while those selling clothes and accessories will open from April 9 to May 2.