KUALA LUMPUR, May 3 — Ramadan bazaars will be utilised as food collection and distribution centres under the National Food Bank programme.
Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said food collected there will then be channelled to campuses, surau and mosques.
This pilot project will be first carried out at Ramadan bazaars in the Klang Valley next week, Saifuddin said, adding this measure is being taken to prevent food wasting found to be quite prevalent during the fasting month.
“We will place boxes where extra food can be deposited for distribution with the target of being consumed for sahur (pre-fast meal). We will ensure they are safe to be consumed as well, of course” he said at the launch of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia’s (UTM) Aidilfitri Bazaar and the Undergraduate Food Bank initiative, here, today.
Saifuddin said besides Ramadan bazaars, the ministry was also targeting hotels and clubhouses as collection and distribution centres, with food safety made a focal point as the items are for individual consumption during sahur.
“We have to make sure the (food) safety aspects are adhered to. We do not want unsold food prepared for buka puasa (breaking of fast) to be resold the next day… these sort of situations are potential hiccups and that is what we must try to avoid,” he said.
Meanwhile, Saifuddin said 382 UTM students here from the B40 (lower income bracket) group will benefit from the first phase of the National Undergraduate Food Bank programme.
“The unique thing here in UTM is their ability to use their niche in information communication and technology to set up a recipient database via a facial recognition system,” he said.
The university’s Kuala Lumpur campus food bank uses the pantry concept and is open on weekdays according to scheduled times, he added.
So far, the National Food Bank programme has been launched in Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) Permatang Pauh in Penang, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia’s (UKM) medical faculty in Kuala Lumpur, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) in Serdang, Universiti Malaya (UM), Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (UniSZA) and UTM Skudai, Johor. — Bernama
