KUALA LUMPUR, June 23 — Malaysian food bank NGO The Lost Food Project (TLFP) has received two new refrigerated logistics trucks donated by the people of Japan, a boost expected to help the organisation provide food aid to an additional 15,000 beneficiaries this year.

The arrival of the trucks is expected to boost TLFP’s fleet capacity by 11 per cent, allowing the organisation to deliver essential food aid to thousands more people.

The vehicles were funded under Japan’s Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGP), which supports small-scale community projects. They were handed over to TLFP by the Japanese Ambassador to Malaysia, His Excellency Noriyuki Shikata, this morning at the organisation’s headquarters in Jalan Chan Sow Lin.

“This initiative closely aligns with our mission to promote grassroots human security by addressing both environmental waste and food insecurity.

“We hope these Japanese-manufactured trucks will serve as reliable workhorses, enhancing TLFP’s remarkable efforts to assist vulnerable families and contribute to building a more resilient, sustainable society,” Shikata said.

The two new Isuzu refrigerated trucks expand TLFP’s operational fleet to six vehicles.

Each truck can carry approximately eight pallets, or around 3,000kg to 4,000kg of food per trip, helping ensure fresh produce remains in optimal condition during transit.

TLFP president Geoff King said the arrival of the trucks could not have come at a better time, as the organisation had been facing growth constraints after over-utilising its existing fleet and drivers.

The shortage of transport had also forced TLFP to delay its expansion plans.

“Thanks to the new Isuzu trucks from the people of Japan, we are able to push ahead, increase our collection volumes, and overcome these growth blocks.

“Here, in the Klang Valley, we can expand food collection trips by over 10 per cent to 115 beneficiary organisations.

“In addition, we are now able to open our second centre in Ipoh, deploying one of the trucks to collect agricultural surplus straight from source,” King said.

The sponsorship will also enable TLFP to add an estimated five new low-cost housing communities, bringing its reach to 38 People’s Housing Programme (PPR) locations, while partnering with 10 additional charities to serve a total of 115 organisations.

Founded in 2015, TLFP is a non-profit food bank that rescues quality surplus food from ending up in landfills and redistributes it to people and pets in need.

To date, the organisation has rescued more than 12 million kilogrammes of surplus food — equivalent to 36 million meals.