High cost of wasting food

THE Covid-19 pandemic has brought to the fore the issue of food security. In July, a joint analysis by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and World Food Programme (WFP) revealed that 27 countries are at high risk of – and in some cases are already seeing – significant food security deterioration in the coming months, including rising numbers of people pushed into acute hunger. These included countries in Asia, Africa, the Americas and Middle East. Fortunately for us, Malaysia isn’t in the list. However, Malaysians are still worried about not having enough food during this crisis.

When the announcement to impose the movement control order (MCO) to curb the spread of Covid-19 was made, people immediately worried about whether they would have enough food throughout the period – and a run for supermarkets, grocery stores and other retail outlets ensued.