PUTRAJAYA: Surplus food from supermarkets still safe for consumption will be distributed to students at 20 public universities under the national food bank initiative, said Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.The Foodbank Malaysia programme has been extended to university campuses to help students from poor families, he added.

“I was made aware of the issue of university students having to starve and eat less, which had been reported in the press.

“This issue has been highlighted and discussed in the Cabinet. I then instructed the ministry to extend the food programme to public universities immediately,” Saifuddin said at a press conference at the Finance Ministry here yesterday.

At the event, Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng announced the allocation of RM3mil for the programme.

The Foodbank Malaysia initiative for students had already started at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia since Feb 26 and at Universiti Malaya since March 7.

Next month, the programme will roll out at Universiti Putra Malaysia, Universiti Teknologi MARA (Penang campus), Universiti Malaysia Pahang, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Universiti Utara Malaysia and Universiti Malaysia Sabah.

Other universities will follow later.

Saifuddin said the programme will be managed by student associations, who will help identify eligible students as well as prepare and distribute the food.

Well done: Lim receiving a successful completion of the Samurai bond issuance at the finance ministry in Putrajaya. Looking on are Saifuddin (left), Dr Miyagawa (third from left).

“Some universities have hospitality management courses, which have kitchen facilities.

“These will be utilised to prepare the food that will be distributed,” said Saifuddin.

He added that a Bill to regulate the food bank initiative will be tabled by the end of the year.

Launched by Prime Minister

Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad in December last year, the Foodbank Malaysia programme was created to help the poor as well as solve food wastage.

About 430 supermarket outlets nationwide have given their commitment to contribute surplus food for the programme.

Earlier, the Finance Ministry held a ceremony to celebrate the successful issuance of the 200 billion yen samurai bond.

Ambassador of Japan to Malaysia Dr Makio Miyagawa, who was at the event, expressed hope that the issuance of the bond would help Malaysia economically.

“We believe the Malaysian government is on the right track towards reducing its debt and cleaning up the dust.

“For this purpose, we are very happy to help Malaysia,” said Dr Miyagawa.