Throughout the holy month of Ramadan, when Muslims fast from dawn until dusk for 30 days, bustling food stalls spring up across Malaysia, offering an irresistible spread of mouth-watering dishes specially prepared for breaking fast, or iftar.
But Ramadan bazaars aren’t just for the Muslim community. Every evening, people from all walks of life, regardless of race or religion, flock to these vibrant markets, united by their shared love for food.
Yet, as with all things we love a little too much, there’s a downside. Often, greed overtakes appetite, and what doesn’t get eaten ends up in the trash.
This raises the question: Just how much food is really wasted during Ramadan?
Spike In Food Waste
Malaysia’s food waste issue becomes especially stark during Ramadan. In 2023 alone, the Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) reported that 90,000 tonnes of food were discarded during the fasting month, a figure reflecting a 15 to 20% increase compared to other months[1].
Ramadan is supposed to be a month of worship for Muslims but for some people, it is a month for feasting and wasting money. Islam tells its people to avoid being greedy, wasteful, and extravagant. – Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) president Mohideen Abdul Kader[1]
This surge is largely driven by overbuying and over-preparing food, particularly at Ramadan bazaars.
The Solid Waste Management and Public Cleansing Corporation (SWCorp) also warned that without effective intervention, around 75,000 tonnes of food will be wasted during Ramadan every year – echoing the same 15% to 20% increase compared to other months[2].
Changemakers In Action: MYSaveFood
MYSaveFood, a government initiative, has been rescuing surplus unsold food from Ramadan bazaars and redistributing it to those in need.
This year, in 2025, they’ve partnered with ReMeal, a platform that sells these leftover meals at discounted prices, not only to prevent food from ending up in landfills but also to make good food more affordable and accessible[3].
If we don’t save the excess food, it will be wasted and end up in landfills. The programme has had a significant impact on the lower-income recipients, who are touched by the donations as many struggle to afford the food due to high prices. – MySaveFood deputy director Aniadila Kamaruddin[2]
Since its inception in 2016, MYSaveFood’s impact has grown steadily each year and 2025 is shaping up to be its most successful year yet.
In 2024, 147 bazaars participated in the initiative, leading to the rescue of 60,798 kg (60.8 tonnes) of surplus food throughout Ramadan. This year, 167 bazaars have joined the initiative.
Although Ramadan is still ongoing, MYSaveFood has already saved approximately 52,428 kg of unsold food, with two weeks left. This figure represents 86% of last year’s total, indicating that 2025 is on track to surpass the previous year’s food recovery efforts[3].
Technology for good: ReMeal
Launched by MARDI in 2016, the MYSaveFood initiative continues to highlight concerns over rising food waste. This year (to date), 63,697 kg of surplus food has been rescued from 167 Ramadan bazaars—an increase from last year’s 60,798 kg collected from 147 bazaars.
At the forefront of this effort is ReMeal, a Malaysian app that connects local businesses with consumers by offering surplus food and groceries at discounted prices. By enabling the sale of excess food at lower prices, ReMeal helps reduce waste while allowing businesses to recover potential losses.
This year marks ReMeal’s first collaboration with Pemuda Gema under the government-led MYSaveFood @ Bazar Ramadan (MSF) programme, which aims to rescue surplus food from Ramadan bazaars nationwide.
Efforts to curb food waste are showing encouraging results. According to ReMeal, both vendors and consumers have responded positively to the initiative.
Consumers love the idea of buying surplus food at a discounted price, knowing that cafes and restaurants inevitably have leftovers at the end of the day. Our goal is to normalize food rescue—showing that consuming surplus food is practical, safe, and even cool, as long as the food is still in good condition. Remeal
For vendors, participation in the programme offers a dual benefit – reducing food waste while recovering some profit from unsold items that would otherwise be discarded. This is especially valuable during high-traffic periods like Ramadan when the risk of over-preparing food is greater.
By participating, they can reduce waste while making the most of their inventory, making it a win-win situation for both businesses and consumers. – Remeal
Despite these positive developments, several challenges remain. Raising public awareness continues to be a significant hurdle, as many Malaysians remain unaware of the scale and impact of food waste. Nevertheless, ReMeal reports that more vendors now see MYSaveFood as a practical solution to reduce disposal costs and contribute to social good.
ReMeal is also working to enhance its technology platform, focusing on making it more user-friendly for volunteers and improving operational efficiency. Additionally, better coordination is needed to streamline data sharing with government agencies and partners, ensuring more informed decision-making and greater impact in future food rescue efforts.
What Do The Vendors Say?
To understand how food surplus is managed, we spoke to three vendors at the Shah Alam Ramadan bazaar (Section 13). Their overwhelmingly positive responses suggest that change may already be underway in tackling food waste in Malaysia.
#1: Che Wa Aneka Tepung Talam
At the Che Wa Aneka Tepung Talam booth, Nurul Faqihah, 23, sells traditional Malay layered cakes, also known as kuih lapis. Her offerings include talam keladi, talam pandan, bingka ubi, talam ubi, talam gula merah, and seri muka pandan.
According to Faqihah, some days the kuih sells out entirely, while on others, there are leftovers – which she usually gives away. Although she didn’t specify the recipients, she made it clear that the kuih never goes to waste.
On average, she prepares 11 to 12 trays of kuih on weekdays and 15 trays on weekends to accommodate the larger crowds.
Having been in the business for a while, she currently operates at six locations around Shah Alam, including popular spots like Section 19 and Section 17 on weekends.By 7pm, when we arrived, the talam pandan, bingka ubi, talam ubi, and talam keladi were nearly sold out. Only the seri muka pandan and talam gula merah remained.
#2: Patin Tempoyak
Maulana Ihsan, 26, and Ajai, 25, operate a booth called Patin Tempoyak where they sell dishes such as patin sangkar priced at RM20, sambal tempoyak at RM3, pucuk ubi tempoyak at RM6, and Puding Raja for RM10.
According to Maulana, by 7pm, most items are sold out, with only patin and rice occasionally remaining.
He added that on average, they prepare around 50 to 60 packs daily and consistently manage to sell everything.
On weekends, we will bring slightly more, around 60 to 70 packs, while on weekdays, we prepare about 30 to 40 packs… but they always sell out by the end of the day. – Maulana Ihsan
#3: BalangBros
Akmal, 22, runs a booth called BalangBros where he sells a variety of drinks including soda mojito, strawberry mojito, Zappel kasturi longan, Ribena lychee, and asam boi.
He explained that while the drinks usually sell out on weekends, there are occasionally small amounts left on weekdays. To minimise wastage, he carefully manages the quantity by filling out only half of the container for each drink to ensure they sell out by the end of the day. On weekends, however, he prepares full containers to meet high demand.
If there are any leftovers, Akmal donates them to the Shah Alam City Council.
He has been in the business for about three years, consistently selling drinks, although not always at the same spot. Currently, he operates at this location in Shah Alam.
Government Efforts To Re-distribute And Reduce Food Waste
The MBSA MYSave Food @ Bazar Ramadan initiative, launched by the Shah Alam City Council (MBSA), aims to reduce food waste by redirecting surplus food to underprivileged communities instead of landfills.
This year, the programme is active at five bazaar locations: Seksyen 13, 17, 19, 28, and U16. A wide range of items including traditional kuih, large drink containers, rice dishes, noodles, and porridge are collected from participating vendors and distributed to those in need.
Many traders, like Akmal from BalangBros, regularly donate their unsold food and drinks, ensuring that nothing goes to waste.
The collected food is then distributed by MBSA staff to university students, local suraus and mosques, low-cost apartment residents, and others[4].
As of 7 March 2025, the MBSA MYSave Food @ Bazar Ramadan programme has successfully saved 1,866.9 kg of food and drinks from going to waste. On just the fourth day, 582.9 kg of food and beverages were collected and distributed to six locations around Shah Alam[5].
According to a report by NST on 12 March, MBSA’s efforts have prevented nearly two metric tonnes of food from being discarded – enough to provide meals for approximately 2,000 to 4,000 people[6].
Written by Noor Ainun Jariah Noor Harun
Explore our sources:
- Bernama. (2024). 90,000 tonnes of food dumped during Ramadan last year, says CAP. Free Malaysia Today. Link
- A. Ariffin & C. Yang. (2024) Unsold, leftover food at Ramadan bazaars in Malaysia raises concerns over wastage. CNA. Link
- ReMeal. (n.d.). MYSaveFood @ Bazar ramadan 2025. Link
- Majlis Bandaraya Shah Alam. (2025). MBSA MYSave Food @ Bazar Ramadan 2025. Facebook. Link
- Sisapepejal MBSA. (2025). MySaveFood 2025 Facebook. Link
- New Straits Times. (2025). Shah Alam council distributes two tonnes of food during the fasting month. NST. Link
