1.16 Mln Households Benefit From KPDN Food Bank Initiative Since 2020 - Armizan

KUALA LUMPUR, March 11 (Bernama) -- About 1.16 million households have benefited from the Food Bank initiative under the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry (KPDN) since 2020, its minister Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali said.

However, he said the actual number of beneficiaries is likely higher as the figure only reflects data from the Food Bank Secretariat under KPDN, while many non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are also implementing similar initiatives independently nationwide.

“We want this programme to have a wide impact and ensure that no group is left out. That is why we invite NGOs to take part as strategic partners in the Food Bank initiative,” he told reporters at the Ronda Ramadan Ihsan Food Bank (i-FB) programme here today.

Armizan said the government is strengthening the effort through the i-FB initiative, which aims to attract more strategic partners including industry players, NGOs and institutions to expand food distribution to those in need.

He said the effort is also important in addressing food waste, following a report by the Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Corporation (SWCorp) which estimated that Malaysia generates about 17,000 tonnes of food waste daily, with around 4,000 tonnes still salvageable and suitable for redistribution.

Armizan said surplus food that can still be saved can be channelled  to those in need while helping reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills, thereby lowering environmental impacts such as methane emissions.

Meanwhile, he said KPDN has also provided retort machines to several strategic partners through the Incubator Ihsan Food Bank programme to process surplus food into ready-to-eat meals for distribution to target groups.

“So far, 14 retort machines have been supplied to several institutions, including hotels and educational institutions, to implement pilot projects under the initiative,” he said.

Armizan added that KPDN is also in discussions with the Finance Ministry to develop a recognition mechanism for NGOs and industry players involved in the Food Bank initiative.

The move aims to acknowledge their commitment in helping ease the cost of living while contributing to environmental sustainability and national food security.

“We hope the mechanism can be announced soon and included in next year’s Budget,” he said.

-- BERNAMA