The food waste–climate change connection

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Created: 18 June 2019

Just as the sun goes down behind the high-rise flats in Lembah Pantai, Kuala Lumpur, trader M. Yanis Mohd Tengku Mahadi hangs an orange tag over the beam of his nasi campur stall at the Ramadan bazaar.It’s almost time for maghrib prayers and soon calls will be resonating from the nearby mosques. It is time to break fast.Yanis has been doing the same thing for the past 15 years, selling more than 40 types of dishes as well as nasi lemak and kuih at his stall, every Ramadan.Most of the time, his dishes are a hit with visitors to the bazaar, one of a few dozen dotting the Klang Valley during the holy month. But even on a good day, there is bound to be leftovers.“There is still some leftover, although not a lot. Yet I cannot bear to see this go to waste,” he says in an interview.This year, Yanis is taking part in the MYSaveFood@Ramadan programme organised by government agencies – the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (Mardi) and the Ampang Jaya Municipal Council – youth volunteer group Pertubuhan Pemuda Gema Malaysia, and the Solid Waste Management and Public Cleansing Corporation (SWCorp) Malaysia.

The food waste and climate change connection

A Ramadan bazaar trader handing over unsold products to volunteers from the MYSaveFood programme. Photo: SHAARI CHEMAT /The StarHe is among hundreds of traders in 15 locations nationwide who are giving what they cannot sell to the programme so the food can be redistributed by volunteers to the needy and to charitable homes.The orange tag tells the volunteers which traders to go to.“I feel so relieved that there are initiatives like this so that there is no waste,” says Yanis as MYSaveFood volunteers come by his stall to pick up the leftover food.

A Big Waste
It is an irony that a nation of passionate food lovers – remember the chicken rice war with Singapore and the popiah battle with Indonesia? – throws away some 16,680 tonnes of grub a day, according to a 2017 survey by SWCorp.Food waste, according to the survey, makes up 44.5% of the almost 38,000 tonnes of solid waste generated by Malaysians daily. The waste composition study was conducted in several places, each targeting at least 50 people.While this figure may already seem high, it climbs every time there is a festival, according to Mardi’s Advanced and Reproductive Technologies Programme deputy director Dr Ainu Husna MS Suhaimi.“We can get up to 100kg of food from one Ramadan bazaar alone,” she points out.And, despite rising world hunger, this wastage isn’t just confined to Malaysians. Globally, according to the United Nations’ Food and Agricultural Organisation’s (FAO) website, an estimated one-third of all food produced – that’s a staggering 1.3 billion tonnes – is either lost or goes to waste.

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Wabak melanda Orang Asli Kuala Koh disahkan demam campak

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Created: 18 June 2019

PUTRAJAYA: Kementerian Kesihatan mengesahkan wabak yang berlaku dalam komuniti Orang Asli suku Batek di Kuala Koh, Gua Musang, termasuk membabitkan kematian disebabkan demam campak.Ia berdasarkan keputusan ujian makmal yang mengesahkan 37 daripada 112 kes membabitkan komuniti Orang Asli itu disebabkan wabak berkenaan, termasuk tiga kematian disahkan setakat ini.Menteri Kesihatan, Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad, keputusan ujian makmal yang lain seperti tuberkulosis (tibi), melioidosis, leptospirosis dan corona virus adalah negatif.“Faktor penyumbang kepada penularan jangkitan demam campak dalam komuniti Orang Asli Kampung Kuala Koh ini adalah liputan imunisasi yang rendah iaitu hanya 61.5 peratus bagi suntikan dos pertama vaksin (Mump, Measles dan Rubela) serta 30 peratus bagi suntikan dos kedua.“Pasukan kesihatan sukar memberi perkhidmatan kesihatan menyeluruh kerana cara hidup suku kaum ini kerap berpindah randah. Kekurangan zat makanan juga menyumbang kepada risiko jangkitan dan kejadian komplikasi,” katanya kepada media di sini, hari ini.

Dr Dzulkefly berkata, jangkitan virus demam campak amat mudah merebak dengan satu kes boleh menularkan jangkitan kepada 12 hingga 18 individu lain.Katanya, jangkitan menular melalui titisan cecair pernafasan di udara dan sentuhan langsung dengan cecair pernafasan daripada orang dijangkiti, tetapi demam campak boleh dicegah dengan imunisasi.“Gejala penyakit demam campak adalah demam dengan batuk, selsema atau mata merah (konjunktivitis), diikuti ruam selepas beberapa hari.“Komplikasi jangkitan demam campak berlaku terutama kepada bayi, kanak-kanak dan individu yang mengalami kekurangan zat makanan serta tahap imuniti yang rendah.“Komplikasi demam campak termasuk pneumonia, cirit-birit, keradangan otak, otitis media dan kematian. Kadar kematian kes demam campak lazimnya kurang satu peratus, namun boleh setinggi tiga hingga enam peratus jika mengalami kekurangan zat makanan,” katanya.Berikutan itu, beliau mengarahkan tindakan pencegahan dan kawalan wabak termasuk carian kes secara aktif di perkampungan Orang Asli terbabit serta perkampungan sekitar berdasarkan pergerakan mereka sebelum ini.

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Consumer Credit Law Needed for Consumer Protection

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Created: 18 June 2019

FOMCA strongly supports the announcement of Bank Negara’s Governor on the need for the establishment of a Consumer Credit Law in Malaysia.

In the current economic situation, with stagnating incomes and increasing costs of living, consumer face tremendous financial pressures affecting their personal, family and work life. Much too often consumers, especially from the low and middle income, need to borrow to face their financial hardships. Bank Negara had reported that 76% of Malaysian consumers would find it difficult to raise RM 1,000 of emergency cash if they had to. In a study by a Universiti Putra Malaysia in a public housing area in Kuala Lumpur focusing on young workers in the age range of 20 to 40, some of the problems faced by young workers and their families were late bill payments (89%), not enough money for medicines (61%), borrowing from family and friends (55%), lack of cash to face emergencies (58%), inability to pay instalments (56%), not enough money to buy basic food items (49%) and borrowing from loan sharks (22%). Indeed many young workers and young families, especially from the low and middle income families were facing serious financial problems. From financial problems, this further led to depression (57%) and having regular arguments with their spouses (57%).  Often, in fact too often, consumers are forced to borrow to face their financial issues.

Currently, they can borrow from banks, regulated by Bank Negara Malaysia, money lenders or pawn brokers, regulated by the Ministry of Housing, or purchase on hire-purchase terms, regulated by the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs.When borrowing is not possible from the registered financial institutions for various reasons, consumers often borrow outside the system from law sharks and other unregistered entities.  This often results in serious detriment and harm to consumer protection and consumer welfare.Although the services provided by registered lenders do help borrowers to temporarily solve their financial problems, there is an urgent need to impose safeguards for such transactions and to protect borrowers.

Of particular to concern to FOMCA, are major retail chains which sell their furniture and other major items, with the promotion of low weekly/monthly payments. However, if the interest rate is computed, consumers are being charged an exorbitant rate.  What is particularly unfortunate, is that many of the affected consumers are from the low-income category who are attracted by the low payment rates. There is currently no legislation to protect consumers and the agency responsible for protecting consumers from extravagant interest rates has failed to act to protect consumers. Without a comprehensive Consumer Credit Law, where interest rates are not only regulated but enforced, the poor consumers will continue to suffer.

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Light at end of mental illness tunnel

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Created: 18 June 2019

ACCORDING to the 2015 National Health Morbidity Survey, 29% of the Malaysian population as a whole suffered from depression and anxiety disorder, and mental illness is expected to be the second biggest health issue affecting Malaysians after heart disease by 2020.The prevalence of mental health issues varies by state, with Kuala Lumpur recording 40% while Perak has the lowest incidence at 17%. Simply put, two out of five individuals in Kuala Lumpur would have some form of mental health concerns.My husband, Jack, and myself are those two individuals. He was diagnosed with depression in December 2017 and myself with anxiety in October 2018. We hope to share our journey to mental health recovery to encourage others and raise awareness on mental health.Mental health is just like physical health; there are times when we are sick and require treatment. However, mental health is still largely misunderstood; for example, mental illness is often associated with personal weakness and the patient is expected to snap out of it with sheer willpower.

And unlike physical conditions such as a headache or cold, mental illness is not easily recognised because the person may not even realise he or she is suffering from it. The enigma, coupled with the stigma surrounding mental illness, prevents many people from seeking treatment.According to the World Health Organisation, people who have gone through adverse life events (unemployment, bereavement or psychological trauma, for example) are more likely to develop depression, and that there are interrelationships between depression and physical health. For example, cardiovascular disease can lead to depression and vice versa.For Jack, it started off rather unassumingly on Dec 16, 2017 when he woke up in the middle of the night with a ringing sound in the right ear (a medical condition called tinnitus) and couldn’t sleep thereafter. Our logical mind blamed it on the coffee he had in the afternoon and we thought that there was nothing to be alarmed of.However, the persistent ringing sound and sleepless nights slowly triggered a sense of panic and led him on a doctor shopping spree. In the span of two weeks, Jack had visited the ear, nose and throat (ENT) doctor, optometrist, general practitioners, traditional Chinese medicine practitioner and acupuncturist, went for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and purchased various over-the-counter supplements.

He constantly had a feeling that there was something wrong with him, ranging from blurry vision to gastrointestinal issues and shortness of breath to abnormal heartbeat. While it appears that his health had taken a dive, other than his hearing loss at a certain frequency (which could have caused the tinnitus), none of the medical tests indicated any abnormalities. Ruling out all possible physical illnesses, Jack was diagnosed with major depressive disorder.

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‘Govt should set up environmental council’

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Created: 18 June 2019

IPOH: A state exco member has urged the Federal Government to set up a permanent council to tackle environmental issues.Dr Abdul Aziz Bari, who heads the state Environmental Committee, said such a body could act as a liaison between the state and federal governments in handling such matters.“It’s not necessary for the council to have the same status as the National Land Council.“But it is necessary to have it to share information between the state and federal governments and for national policies or actions to be streamlined and implemented,” he said after attending a Hari Raya open house held by the Perak branch of the Society for the Blind in Malaysia yesterday.

 “It is necessary so that all states can move forward together with none left behind. The council could be chaired by the Prime Minister or his deputy to give it more importance,” he said.He said the general perception was that the state had the authority to act on environmental matters.“But states do not have the expertise or funds to do so.“State environmental departments have laws but lack ‘teeth’ and enforcement,” he said, adding that the Federal Government had more resources.Abdul Aziz cited the Sungai Kim Kim toxic pollution incident when the Johor government relied on federal agencies to handle the issue.“For example, we need the Federal Government to deal with other countries to bring in river cleaning technology,” he said.Asked whether a new law to empower state environmental departments would help, Abdul Aziz said this was not the answer.

Read more at https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2019/06/17/govt-should-set-up-environmental-council/#kHvuj8FJ0Jjplmih.99

No more straws in Selangor F&B outlets

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Created: 18 June 2019

SHAH ALAM: All food and beverage outlets including restaurants in Selangor are prohibited from providing plastic straws at the counter to be freely picked up by customers from July 1.Plastic straws would only be given at the request of the customer for each drink that was ordered, said state Environment, Green Technology, Science and Consumer Affairs Committee chairman Hee Loy Sian.He said the implementation of the policy on reducing the use of the plastic straws was approved by the state exco on Wednesday.All local authorities will in­clude the ban in the terms of business licence application when restaurant operators submit new applications or renew their business licence.“The main objective of this policy is to educate and increase the level of awareness among residents in Selangor on the long-term impact of the use of plastic, particularly plastic straws on health and the environment.

“The implementation of this policy is expected to help the government to control the increasingly significant environmental pollution and encourage recycling or reuse to maintain environmental cleanliness in Selangor,” he said.Hee explained that the policy was in line with the government’s intention to reduce the use of single-use plastics such as plastic bags, polystyrene, coverings or plastic food coatings, disposable plastic materials and so on.The state government, through the local councils, would monitor the implementation of the policy and all food and beverage outlet operators were urged to provide cooperation and assistance in order to achieve the objective of reducing the use of plastic in the state, he said.He said the state government was thankful that many food and beverage outlet operators had already implemented such initiatives to reduce the use of plastic including no longer providing plastic straws to consumers automatically.

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Reckless riders endanger motorists

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Created: 14 June 2019

WITH a swipe of your finger, your order of pizza, fried chicken and burgers will be at your doorstep within minutes. There is no need to get into your car, drive to your favourite restaurant, find a parking spot, spend another 15 minutes getting your order through before finally getting your meal.The proliferation of mobile delivery applications has made it super simple to order a meal. The flip-side to this means that we have truly become a nation of couch potatoes.But it is a win-win situation for the restaurants as well as online delivery companies.The restaurant increases sales while the delivery company gets a percentage. It is even simpler with large fast-food chains who cut out the middleman by employing their own delivery service and dealing directly with the customer.The sheer number of food delivery apps available here is mind-boggling. I counted 11 of them, including popular ones like GrabFood, dahmakan, Delivereat and Foodpanda. And more and more companies are getting on the bandwagon. But have you stopped to think about how your meal gets delivered to you?

The demand for these services has seen a spike in the number of delivery riders on Malaysian roads. They are literally everywhere.You would not have failed to notice them, with their bright green or pink or prominent fast-food logo delivery bags fastened to their back seats.We appreciate the services rendered by these delivery riders, rain or shine, to get our food to our doorsteps. But the risks they take while doing their job is very worrying.A friend recently sent me a viral video of a delivery rider beating a red light and getting hit by an oncoming vehicle in Damansara Perdana. Actually, there are a few such viral videos out there. I have also had two close calls with these motorcyclists.The most recent happened last week in my neighbourhood. The rider in front of me, slowed down, sped up and then swerved to the right. As this happened about 10m in front of me, I had a first-hand look at the motorcycle rider, even as I tried to stop myself from colliding with him. The rider was checking his handphone with one hand while manoeuvring his bike with the other.

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