(From left) Anthony, Muhamad Adam, Lew, Satvinder, Chia and Wong at the Bite by Bite: Rescue More, Waste Less campaign in Subang Jaya.
THE ground floor of a shopping centre in Subang Jaya, Selangor, buzzed with activity as students from a local university carried out a campaign to reduce food waste.
UCSI University’s “Bite by Bite: Rescue More, Waste Less” campaign was in collaboration with Subang Jaya City Council (MBSJ) and USJ 14 Community Garden Association.
It was spearheaded by UCSI Nutrition with Wellness final-year students, under the guidance of Assoc Prof Satvinder Kaur.
Activities included a talk by Dr Chang Lee Sin, who said Malaysians threw out 17 million kilogrammes of food daily, of which nearly four million kilogrammes were still edible and intact.
“Food that is past the ‘best before’ date can still be consumed if the taste and colour are acceptable, but anything past the ‘use by’ date should never be eaten.
“There are five simple steps to cut down on waste: organise, label, freeze, shop smart and repurpose.”
There were also hands-on activities such as upcycling coffee grounds into a body scrub and a live cooking demonstration by chef Fazly Che Omar, alongside booths sharing information on consuming less-than-fresh or commonly wasted food.
Fazly’s cooking demonstration was one of informative activities during the campaign to educate the public about food waste.
A Spin-and-Answer Challenge encouraged people to brainstorm creative ways to repurpose food waste.
A lucky draw was also held with a RM1,500 multi-cooker as the main prize.
Jen Soh, 61, a Subang Jaya resident, said she was drawn to the campaign because she wanted to know how to reduce waste and spend less.
“During the talk, Chang explained how to tell if food could still be eaten,” said Soh.
“From now on, I will try to cook at home as much as possible and minimise eating out.”
Satvinder said food waste was about lost nutrients too.
“By creating awareness, we are showing Malaysians how to prepare healthy recipes with what they have.
“Food waste is both a national and global concern.
“Malaysia, despite being a small country, has been ranked among the top food wasters in the world.
“If this continues, our land- fills will overflow, leading to public health problems,” she stressed.
Satvinder hopes Malaysians will rethink their habits.
“That means less overeating, less obesity and better nutrition overall.
“In the end we’re not just reducing waste, but we are improving lives.”
The campaign was launched by Subang Jaya City Council (MBSJ) Zone 3 councillor Ken Chia and USJ 9 Residents Association chairman Anthony Gunapalan.
Also present were Summit USJ general manager Anthony Lew, USJ 14 Community Garden Association secretary Muhamad Adam Abdullah and What A Waste (a surplus food rescuer and redistributer) representative Wong Yoke Wan.
