Reduce Size Of Free Food Portions During Thaipusam To Avoid Wastage - CAP

GEORGE TOWN, Feb 7 (Bernama) -- Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO) and Charity Organisations have been urged to reduce the portion of the free food provided during the Thaipusam celebration ob Feb 11, to avoid wastage of food.

The Consumers’ Association of Penang (CAP) Education officer N.V. Subbarow said the association believes in reducing the size of food portion and reducing wastage because every year at least 50 tonnes of food waste is thrown away during the Thaipusam festival.

"CAP urge NGOs to reduce the size of food portion provided as reducing the size of free food during the festival can prevent significant wastage.

"In addition, CAP also calls on the management of all temples nationwide that celebrate Thaipusam to eliminate the use of plastic and polystyrene food containers when serving food to devotees," he said here today.

Apart from reducing food waste, CAP also called on Hindus to avoid using plastic during the Thaipusam celebration.

Subbarow said the increase in plastic waste would further aggrevate the issue of pollution if more people used the material during Thaipusam because pollution is already at a critical stage.

He said plastic pollution has become one of the most pressing environmental threats to people and the earth and that more plastic is used and thrown away in big festivals such as Thaipusam, making more of its waste end up in the environment and end up polluting.

"The threat from the production and use of single-use plastics is very serious which is a concern for public health and the environment," he said.

He said alternatives to single-use plastics are reusable utensils, rewashed utensils, leaves used as tableware and food wrappers or carrying their own containers to fill food.

-- BERNAMA