THE Penang government, through Mutiara Food Bank initiative, has successfully collected a whopping 952,000kg or 952 tonnes of food benefiting 49,179 recipients in the state since its inception in 2017.
The Mutiara Food Bank was established with the aim of distributing edible food (from going to waste) to the poor.
State Welfare and Environment Committee chairman Phee Boon Poh said this shows that the programme has managed to give a positive impact on the underprivileged people in Penang.
“The success of Mutiara Foodbank also has been emulated by the Federal Government at that time when they established Yayasan Food Bank Malaysia (YFBM).
“The food distribution from this initiative also helps to alleviate the burden of those who are greatly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
“This is proven when from January 2020 until February this year, the programme has saved over 206,000kg or 206 tonnes of surplus food and has benefited a total of 24,692 recipients,” Phee (PH – Sungai Puyu) said during his speech at the state Engagement Session between the state executive councillors and the assemblymen at St Giles Wembley Hotel today.
Phee also thanked state assemblymen for playing their part in recognising the needy who are qualified to receive the food from the programme in their constituencies.
On another issue, Phee said the state government, through the collaboration between the Penang Green Council (PGC), Seberang Perai City Council (MBSP) and the Environment and Water Ministry (Kasa), is conducting the SEA Circular Project.
The project’s aims to address the impact of plastic pollution on the marine environment by making changes to the existing plastic waste management system.
“The SEA Circular Project is an initiative of the United Nations Environment Programme (UN Environment) and the Coordinating Body on the Seas of East Asia (COBSEA) which also has the support of the Swedish government.
“In Malaysia, only two states have been selected as strategic partners for this project. They are Selangor and Penang.
“This project aims to raise awareness and change community behaviour for the long term by focusing on reducing the use of single-use plastics and also to stimulate the use of circular economy concept,” he added.
Story by Riadz Akmal
Pix by Noor Siti Nabilah Noorazis and Adleena Rahayu Ahmad Radzi
Video by Law Suun Ting