KUCHING, Aug 4 — Sarawak needs more professional dietetic experts to ensure balanced meals in daily nutrition, said Sarawak Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg.

He said that the presence of professional dietitians is important to help the community understand the nutritional content of food and to plan meals that meet dietary needs.

“We need many professional dietetic experts so that the food we serve is balanced from a dietary perspective. Sometimes we do not know the content of our food and its dietary aspects,” he said to reporters after officiating the 3rd Annual Meeting of the Unesco Creative Cities of Gastronomy Network (UCCN) here today.

He said that among the approaches that can be practiced is reducing portion sizes, without sacrificing the taste of the food while also reducing waste.

“Sometimes we serve too much food, leading to wastage because some do not finish their meals but perhaps just one-third or half of the usual quantity,” he said, also reminding of the importance of controlling food intake to maintain a healthy Body Mass Index (BMI). — Bernama