KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 17 — Mydin hypermarket managing director Datuk Ameer Ali Mydin reportedly said Menu Rahmah’s low pricing does not mean that food sellers are compromising their food quality.
According to news portal Malaysiakini, Ameer said that it was wrong for a lawmaker to issue such statements that would create confusion among the public about the quality of Menu Rahmah.
“Actually it’s very wrong when she assumes that people (sellers) will give low-quality food because we are selling at a cheaper price,” he was quoted saying.
“From the onset, especially at Mydin, and nasi kandar association, we have said that the quality of the food won’t be compromised.”
Ameer who launched the Menu Rahmah initiative with the Minister of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living (KPDN) on January 31 said this in response to PAS’ Kapar MP Dr Halimah Ali’s controversial remark that the programme is causing “cancer, autoimmune diseases and autism, among other things”.
He added that the businesses would not serve low-quality food because that would be detrimental to the business’s reputation, which would have a long-term negative effect on them.
When asked about the profit margin of the Menu Rahmah, the businessman also denied that sellers are offering the programme at a loss.
He said that sellers are still able to make between RM1 to RM1.50 with a price cap of RM5 per meal.
“It’s the same meal, there is no compromise [on food], the only thing is when you sell at such a low margin, it won’t cover the overall overhead of the shop, or ‘mamak’ shops or whatever.
“But you must remember, not everyone comes to buy Menu Rahmah, we have seen that only 15 per cent of the customers buy Menu Rahmah, so we still have 85 per cent of customers buying other things,” he added.
Menu Rahmah was launched on January 31 by Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister Datuk Seri Salahuddin Ayub as part of the unity government’s short-term efforts to mitigate the inflation squeeze on low-income earners.
The programme serves lunch or dinner sets at the recommended price of RM5 and each meal includes rice, a choice of protein such as chicken or fish, a portion of vegetables, and a bottle of mineral water.
