For a good cause: A Ramadan bazaar trader filling in her details for the MySaveFood programme.
KUALA LUMPUR: One-quarter of the food that ends up in waste bins is still edible, studies have found – which is why Pertubuhan Pemuda Gema Malaysia (Pemuda Gema) swung into action to tackle the country’s massive food wastage problem.
Its members have been visiting Ramadan bazaars throughout the country to collect unsold food and deliver it to the underprivileged community, including students and welfare home residents.
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They also distribute the food to Orang Asli settlements, low-cost apartments, surau and mosques through the MySaveFood programme.
Pemuda Gema president Nasim Ralim said the programme, which was initiated in 2016 at the Ramadan bazaar in Kampung Baru here, has been extended to 60 locations around the country.
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He said as of last Saturday, some 16 tonnes of food and beverages had been saved from Ramadan bazaars nationwide.
“We have some 1,000 volunteers in this programme, comprising students, workers of various local authorities and professionals.“Their roles include communicating with traders, recording data, collecting the food and weighing and repacking it to be redistributed,” he added.
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Nasim said during the Muslim fasting month last year, 716.5kg of unsold food and 385.3kg of beverages were distributed to the needy with the help of Ramadan bazaar traders.
Adding that the programme was important in creating awareness on food wastage among the people, Nasim said it would be continued as part of the organisation’s effort to contribute to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), among which is reducing the amount of food waste by half by 2030.
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Quoting studies by the Solid Waste Management and Public Cleansing Corporation (SWCorp), he said food waste increases by between 15% and 20% during Ramadan.
“The studies also showed that about 24% of the food that ends up in the landfills is still edible.
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“In Malaysia, there are two societal attitudes that need to be tackled. One is the attitude of littering and the other is wasting and not appreciating food,” he added.
Pemuda Gema has called for people to join it in building a sustainable world by reducing food wastage, among others.
“Our small actions can have a global impact within the framework of the SDGs,” said Nasim.
