High time for Malaysia to formulate law on food waste, says Miss Earth Malaysia 2022
09 Apr 2023 11:17am
Miss Earth Malaysia 2022 Dr Kajel Kaur Gill - VAELANPHOTOGRAPHY
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Dr Kajel Kaur said a new law on how excess food should be dealt with has been long overdue in Malaysia and hoped the current Unity government led by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim will make all the necessary efforts to formulate a law that could promote sustainable practices throughout the food supply chain.
"We live in a country that has delicious food and most of the time, without even realising, we discard edible food which is a significant issue that contributes to food waste. As such, the only way to stop the habit of wasting food in the society is by having an effective law that can promote sustainable practices.
"Formulating a law on food waste in Malaysia would provide a comprehensive legal framework to tackle the environmental, social, and economic challenges posed by food waste," she said adding that it is also in line with the country’s commitments to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including SDG 12, which focuses on responsible consumption and production.
Dr Kajel who is waiting to start her housemanship told this to Bernama during a press conference held recently to announce the updates of Miss Earth Malaysia 2023 beauty pageant. Also in attendance is the pageant's national director, Joshua Benedict.
For a start, she said, restaurants in Malaysia could put up signage like 'Eat what you can' or 'Don't be overly ambitious on what you have in your plate' as a responsible measure to raise awareness and educate public on food waste, while stressing that France adopted a law in 2016 to address food waste and it has been effective.
Meanwhile, Dr Kajel Kaur, who is the licence holder of Miss Earth Malaysia 2023 beauty pageant, said the Miss Earth Malaysia 2023 beauty pageant will be held on August this year with the title winner to represent Malaysia at Miss Earth international beauty pageant to be held in Vietnam end of the year.
"Participants of the pageant are advised to be sincere in their advocacies and something relevant in today's time," said the Ipoh born animal lover who runs her own non-governmental organisation called ‘No Strays On Streets’ to ensure stray animals are fed, vaccinated, rescued, neutered and re-homed - BERNAMA
