SUBANG JAYA: While frozen food items have been added to the list of eligible purchases under the second round of the Sumbangan Asas Rahmah (Sara) programme, fresh produce has yet to be included in the scheme.
Checks by The Star team at a hypermarket here revealed that recipients could use the Sara aid for selected packaged food, daily necessities and certain frozen items such as roti canai and nuggets, as well as dairy products like butter and yoghurt.
Transactions also ran smoothly, with most customers completing their purchases without system glitches or long queues during the team’s visit at 10.30am on Monday (Feb 9).
However, fresh produce such as fish, chicken and vegetables remains excluded, despite earlier reports indicating that these items would be included under the Sara distribution from mid-February.
Last month, it was reported that the list of essential items under Sara would be updated by mid-February and would likely include fresh produce.
Political secretary to the Finance Minister Muhammad Kamil Abdul Munim said there have been requests to include more items in the list, including fresh produce such as fish, chicken and other essentials.
He added that the government expects the move to be implemented before Ramadan to ease the public’s burden when purchasing these items ahead of Hari Raya Aidilfitri.
Meanwhile, a hypermarket spokesperson said items that require weighing at the point of sale have yet to be included under the Sara aid mechanism.
Earlier on Monday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said that from Feb 9 to Dec 31, 2026, 22 million Malaysian citizens aged 18 and above will receive RM100 credited to their MyKad.
He said the assistance can be used to purchase essential items at more than 10,000 participating grocery shops and supermarkets across all districts nationwide.
