KUALA LUMPUR: As World Food Day is observed tomorrow, food rescue organisations are working to get more surplus food to communities in need, amid changing donation patterns and rising distribution costs.
Their work goes beyond reducing food waste to ensuring edible food is safely collected and reaches recipients in time.
What A Waste founder Alvin Chen said the organisation rescued more than 2.8 million kilos of food in the first nine months of this year, up about 30% from approximately 2.15 million kilos over the same period in 2025.
It also distributed more than 180,000 food packs during the period, compared with about 158,000 a year earlier, an increase of at least 14%.
Chen said they are seeing a shift in the profile of people receiving food assistance, with working families, single parents and elderly people among those needing support.
He also said the organisation is seeing a shift in the profile of people receiving food assistance, with working families, single parents and elderly people among those needing support.
“A person can be employed, have a home and still struggle to put a proper meal on the table,” he said, noting that expenses such as housing, transport, utilities and education could leave households with little disposable income for food.
“The reality is that poverty is not always visible, and food insecurity does not always look like homelessness.”
He added that working families and financially stretched households should not be overlooked simply because they do not fit the traditional image of someone in need.
The Lost Food Project vice-president Sarah Grasset said food insecurity is no longer confined to the homeless or traditionally low-income communities.
“We are seeing a real shift across the board,” she said, adding that the organisation is reaching more working families, single parents and elderly people who struggle to afford nutritious meals despite having regular incomes.
She said the way surplus food reaches the organisation has also changed, with smaller amounts coming from some regular donors as businesses improve waste management, while new partnerships help increase overall rescue volumes.
“Pasar Borong KL now accounts for 75% of the organisation’s rescued food, providing a steady supply of fresh produce.
“However, rising fuel and operating costs are adding to the challenges of collecting and distributing surplus food,” she said.
Grasset said higher diesel costs have made transport more expensive, while some charity partners are struggling to afford the fuel needed to collect food. Organisations also face challenges securing long-term funding and maintaining sufficient volunteer support.
According to Food Aid Foundation general manager Afraz Said, the challenge is not always whether people have food to eat, but whether they can consistently afford nutritious meals.
“Having food on the table is one thing; being able to afford sufficient and nutritious food consistently is another,” he said.
While the foundation could not formally quantify changes in recipient profiles, its experience shows that families and charitable homes are struggling to stretch their resources to meet basic needs.
Afraz said the foundation’s food distribution totalled 1.83 million kilos in 2023, 1.41 million kilos in 2024 and 1.2 million kilos in 2025. However, she noted that the figures were affected by changes in its programmes and do not necessarily indicate a decline in demand for food assistance.
Afraz said the foundation needed more resources to meet demand for food assistance and cover the costs of collection, storage and distribution.
She welcomed the Budget 2027 tax deduction for food and equipment contributions to the Ihsan Food Bank Initiative from 2027 to 2030, saying it could “encourage more businesses to donate”.
