Kuala lumpur: Household food waste in Malaysia is closely linked to changing lifestyles and rising income levels, with urban areas and states recording higher per capita incomes showing a greater tendency to waste food, Chief Statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin said. He explained that as households moved beyond meeting basic needs, their consumption patterns had shifted, leading to purchases that exceeded actual requirements.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Mohd Uzir noted that as income levels rise, people tend to consume more than just essential items, often buying things that are not really needed. He emphasized the importance of cultivating a stronger culture of food appreciation, pointing out that many individuals leave food on their plates. Surveys revealed that households often waste food, including items left in the refrigerator, as parents purchase excessive amounts during promotions, unaware that their children may also buy the same items, which eventually expire and are discarded.

Mohd Uzir retired today after 36 years in the public service, marking the end of nearly nine years leading the transformation of Malaysia's strategic data institution. He assumed the role of chief statistician at the Department of Statistics Malaysia in 2017.

Commenting on the differences between urban and rural households, Mohd Uzir highlighted that food wastage was generally higher in urban areas, though the trend was becoming more apparent in rural communities as well. The increasing use of catering services for kenduri in rural areas has contributed to food wastage compared to meals prepared at home.

"In urban areas, during weekends there can be five or six functions in a day with almost the same menu," he said. Guests often receive multiple invitations and attend mainly to celebrate, resulting in more leftover food. States with higher per capita incomes, such as Selangor, were more exposed to activities contributing to greater food wastage compared with states where fewer social functions occurred.

Mohd Uzir also noted that consumers were less likely to appreciate food when it was easily available or purchased at discounted prices. He explained that in economics, price reflects scarcity value, and when something is not valued due to easy availability or heavy discounts, people do not perceive leftovers as a problem. The same trend is observed in clothing purchases, particularly through online shopping, where low prices encourage excessive buying that eventually leads to waste.

According to the National Household Indicators Survey (NHIS) 2025, household food waste in Malaysia is estimated at between 31.9 kilogrammes (kg) and 97.3kg per capita annually. The survey found food waste was more significant for processed or cooked food than raw food, with 94.1 per cent of households reporting that they had thrown away processed or cooked food compared with 88.7 per cent for raw food.

By food category, vegetables accounted for the highest proportion of wasted raw food at 29.1 per cent, followed by fruits (22.4 per cent) and fish or seafood (15 per cent). For processed or cooked food, rice recorded the highest wastage rate at 16.7 per cent, followed by vegetables (15.8 per cent) and food purchased from outside (13.8 per cent).

The survey also revealed that 79.3 per cent of households disposed of food together with other household waste, while only 20.7 per cent practised food waste separation, indicating that separating food waste has yet to become a common household practice.