NILAI: The government has allocated RM464,000 to provide ‘retort machines’ that work (via commercial sterilisation and vacuum sealed) to prevent food wastage, says Deputy Minister of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs (KPDNHEP) Datuk Rosol Wahid.
He said the government urged the hotel industry, catering operators and food traders to work together to deliver food to locations where there were retort machine facilities to achieve the target of zero wastage.
He said so far, retort machines had been installed at Hotel Seri Malaysia Perlis, Hotel Primula Terengganu, Hotel Le Meridien Putrajaya and Al Huda Enterprise and Food Aid Foundation in Kuala Lumpur.
"The government plans to install this machine at the Sultan Idris Shah Sg Air Tawar Polytechnic in Selangor; Grand Darul Makmur Hotel Kuantan in Pahang; and Hotel Seri Malaysia Alor Setar in Kedah.
"I was informed that at least four tonnes of food will be wasted during Ramadan this year. The ministry is planning to make this machine available in Sabah and Sarawak,” he said at the ‘Jualan Malaysia Rancak’ Aidilfitri programme at AEON Mall here on Wednesday (April 27).
He said through this initiative, more than 2,000 packets of retort-packaged food were distributed among university students affected by the floods this year.
He added that food packaged using the retort machine is guaranteed to be clean, have a longer shelf life and safe to eat.
He said the machine was an initiative of the ministry through Food Bank Malaysia to achieve the objective of zero wastage in food and beverages - which are still good and untouched - to help target groups get safe food supplies, notably during natural disasters. - Bernama
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