Kuala Lumpur: The Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living (KPDN) is collaborating with the ReMeal platform this year to collect data on the amount of food successfully saved from disposal at Ramadan bazaars. Its deputy minister, Dr Fuziah Salleh said the initiative was taken by her ministry as one of the value-added efforts to prevent food which is unsold from ending up as waste.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the ReMeal application allows tracking of how much food was saved and identifies which Ramadan bazaar locations were involved. Additionally, the platform offers the returned food for purchase at a large discount. Dr Fuziah elaborated on this during a press conference following a field trip to the Rahmah Ramadan Bazaar (BRR) at the Eastern Zone level.

Dr Fuziah highlighted that the approach could be realised with the ReMeal platform alongside adequate help and support from volunteers nationwide. To date, the MySaveFood programme has successfully saved a total of 36,292.2 kilogrammes (kg) of food from being disposed of at Ramadan bazaars. Out of this total, 12,691.16 kg of food was saved by Student Consumer Movements (GPS) at 68 public and private higher education institutions this year.

She also noted the success of BRR, evidenced by the increase in its number since 2023, from 41 to 95 locations nationwide this year. Furthermore, there is an increasing number of stalls offering the Rahmah Menu to the public. As an incentive, discount cards are provided to traders who offer the Rahmah Menu, enabling them to purchase food ingredients at a discounted price during the Rahmah Sale. This move ensures the sustainability of the Rahmah Menu, which is sold at RM5 and below.