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.

IN March, the cost of food increased by 1.1 per cent compared with the same month the previous year.This is a common phenomenon in developing economies where the proportion of income spent on food is high compared with developed economies.Engel’s law states that as income rises, the proportion of income spent on food falls, even if absolute expenditure on food rises. Thus, low-income food-deficit consumers who are faced with rapid food-price inflation have little room to adjust their expenditure patterns away from non-necessary items.An increase in food prices markedly reduces the real income of such groups.The increase in food prices is a boon and bane to developing economies.Rising food prices affect everyone, but the degree of hardship on a specific population depends on five factors: income levels, the products that comprise a population’s consumption basket, whether they are net foodsellers or buyers, the share of food in total expenditure and the degree of price transmission from world markets to local markets.

These factors raise two questions: what causes food prices to increase and what can we do to reduce the negative impact of price hikes.The cause of rising food prices is due to supply and demand, supported by factors such as trade policies, energy prices and supply chain inefficiency.Important supply factors include high energy costs, crop failures and a drop in farm productivity. Energy costs act as supply-push factors by increasing production costs.In terms of demand, the trends in food consumption have seen an increase in the consumption of higher-value protein foods such as meat, fish and milk.The demand for staple food among the lower quintile of the population, however, has increased as the income elasticity of this group is high. Consumers also demand new food products, new packaging, convenience, new delivery systems, and safer and more nutritious foods.

Saban tahun isu pembaziran makanan hangat diperkatakan ketika Ramadan, yang meningkat 15 hingga 20 peratus berbanding bulan biasa. Antara punca didorong faktor gaya hidup mewah dan pembelian mengikut hawa nafsu sehingga tidak dapat membezakan di antara keperluan dan kehendak.Tidak hairanlah dilaporkan isi rumah atau keluarga adalah penyumbang terbesar keseluruhan 16,650 tan pembuangan sisa makanan di negara ini setiap hari.Pertubuhan Makanan dan Pertanian Dunia (FAO) melaporkan, 21,000 orang meninggal dunia setiap hari akibat kebuluran dan kelaparan, manakala 795 juta orang atau 10 peratus daripada penduduk dunia menghadapi masalah kekurangan zat seolah-olah tidak memberi apa-apa kesan.

Walaupun Malaysia tiada masalah kebuluran, kelaparan tersembunyi wujud tanpa disedari. Dianggarkan 63.1 peratus dan 33.6 peratus golongan B40 (golongan berpendapatan rendah) berada di bandar dan luar bandar.Golongan ini yang terdiri daripada mereka yang mempunyai pendidikan rendah, kurang kemahiran dan bergantung sepenuhnya kepada faktor alam (luar bandar) dalam mencari sesuap nasi. Tiada pekerjaan sampingan yang dilakukan mengakibatkan golongan ini terus rasa tertekan dalam arus pembangunan.Tambahan pula kenaikan kos sara hidup turut memberi kesan kepada kebolehdapatan makanan di kalangan golongan ini. Jika di luar bandar, seandainya mereka terputus bekalan makanan, golongan ini boleh mengutip pucuk kayu dan memancing atau menjala ikan sebagai sumber makanan, tetapi bagi golongan B40 di bandar apa yang harus mereka lakukan.

Berdasarkan kajian, golongan ini mengutamakan makanan kepada anak-anak, membeli barang keperluan di kedai harga murah dan membeli pakaian terpakai sebagai satu strategi berdaya tahan untuk memastikan bekalan makanan isi rumah terjamin.Situasi ini memberi kesan kepada keselamatan makanan sama ada pada peringkat isi rumah mahupun individu dengan pencapaian keselamatan makanan akan tercapai apabila semua orang, pada setiap masa, mempunyai akses fizikal dan ekonomi kepada makanan yang mencukupi, selamat serta berkhasiat bagi memenuhi keperluan diet dan pemilihan makanan untuk kehidupan sihat.

Kedatangan Ramadan bukan sahaja disambut berjuta-juta umat Islam di seluruh dunia, malah dalam masa sama, turut mengubah corak pembelian dalam talian. Kita lihat data pada 2018 yang menunjukkan pengguna membeli-belah dalam talian semakin meningkat dan perbezaan trend pembelian di Malaysia dan Indonesia.

Membeli-belah pada waktu sahur

Semasa Ramadan, rakyat Malaysia dan Indonesia ba­ngun pada awal pagi untuk bersahur. Menurut data, mereka lebih cenderung membeli-belah dalam talian pada waktu itu.Analisis kami pada 2018 merekodkan trafik dalam talian pada pukul 5 pagi meningkat 105 peratus di Malaysia dan 345 peratus di Indonesia berbanding tempoh sama pada bulan sebelumnya.Peningkatan ini jauh lebih tinggi di Indonesia kerana mempunyai penduduk Islam terbesar di dunia. Ini adalah trend berterusan seperti yang dilihat dalam kajian kami pada tahun-tahun sebelumnya.Di Malaysia, peningkatan trafik dalam talian jauh lebih tinggi berbanding dengan kajian kami pada tahun sebelumnya, yang mana kami hanya melihat kenaikan 90 peratus trafik dalam talian pada pukul 5 pagi.

SEBERANG JAYA: Lembaga Pemasaran Pertanian Persekutuan (FAMA) memberi jaminan semua bekalan barangan keperluan bagi hasil tani dan penternakan mencukupi menjelang Ramadan ini.Pengerusinya, Ishak Ismail, berkata pihaknya sudah membuat perancangan teliti, khususnya bagi bekalan dua barangan utama iaitu ayam dan kelapa.“Biasanya ayam dan kelapa yang menjadi masalah kita setiap kali musim perayaan khususnya Aidilfitri.“Jadi, kita sudah berbincang untuk membawa lebih bekalan kelapa dari Pulau Papabak, Sabah, dengan 30 tan kelapa setiap bulan dari negeri itu.“Bekalan ayam juga tiada masalah, malah harga ayam agak terkawal sekarang,” katanya pada sidang media di sini, hari ini.

Terdahulu, Ishak mengadakan Lawatan Kerja dan menyampaikan geran insentif Karavan Tani sempena Penang FAMA Fest 2019 di Tapak Ekspo Seberang Jaya, di sini.Mengulas lanjut, Ishak turut menyambut baik cadangan Kementerian Perdagangan Dalam Negeri dan Hal Ehwal Pengguna (KPDNHEP) yang mahu menyenaraikan lebih banyak barang kawalan serta memanjangkan tempoh penguatkuasaan skim kawalan harga bermula Ramadan ini.Katanya, usaha KPDNHEP itu akan memberi manfaat kepada pengguna untuk mendapatkan barangan keperluan pada harga munasabah, selain pembekal juga dapat melipat gandakan hasil perniagaan.

“Babi lah lu! (You’re a pig!)” used to be a common insult in Malaysia although it is no longer taken lightly in these “highly sensitive” days.But the reality is, swine and humans do share many similarities – eating habits, for example.Both are omnivorous mammals that tend to gain weight easily because of their incessant eating.When it comes to “pigging out”, Malaysians are way ahead of five fellow Asean countries: Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam.We have the highest rate of obesity (13.3%) and overweightness (38.5%), in addition to the highest proportion of diabetics (14.9%), according to the World Health Orga­­ni­­sation (WHO) estimates.With more than half of the population deemed unhealthy, the cost of medical management for obesity-­related illnesses ranges between RM4.08bil to RM8.15bil a year.

It’s a massive amount, considering the RM29bil allocated for health under the 2019 Budget.There are now 2.5 million people aged 18 and above in this country with diabetes, and one in four Malaysians are expected to be diabetic by next year.Research shows that sugary drinks increase the risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease and other chronic conditions.People who consume between one and two cans of sugary drinks a day have a 26% greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes over those who do not.Yet Malaysians, known for their largely sedentary lifestyles, continue to quench their thirst with sugar-­sweetened beverages (SSBs).Five years ago, the WHO slashed its sugar intake recommendations by half – from 10% of daily calorie intake to 5%.

What’s the most important information to look for – always, always, always – on a food label? Most people say calories. Others say fat. Sugar is important too, especially added sugar.But what’s the most important information? Serving Size. Everything else is based on that particular amount of food. Let’s say, for instance, I want to compare different brands of ice cream.The US Food and Drug Administration (the folks who recently updated the Nutrition Facts label) has changed some of the standard serving sizes on food labels “to reflect what people actually eat and drink. For example, the serving size for ice cream was previously ½ cup and is now 2/3 cup.”Right. So, back to my example. When comparing ice creams, I need to know that the calories and other nutrients listed on the label are accurate only if I eat two-thirds of a cup.

If twice that much gets accidentally scooped into my bowl, I will chalk up double the calories, fat, sugar, etc – you get the picture.Of course, Calories are important too. So important that the newest Nutrition Facts label now shows calories in big, bold letters. “Calories from fat” is one item that was removed from the newest food label.That’s because research now shows that the amount of fat we consume is less important than the type of fat. And that explains why we still see “Saturated Fat” and “Trans Fat” on this new label; they are the types of fat most associated with inflammatory conditions such as heart disease.

TUMPAT, 5 Mac (Bernama) -- Hampir 100 penternak ikan kerapu dan siakap dalam sangkar di Laguna Tujoh di sini, berdepan kerugian apabila cuaca panas yang melanda Kelantan sejak dua minggu lepas menyebabkan banyak ternakan mereka mati.Seorang penternak, Zailani Ariffin, 33, berkata setiap hari jumlah ikan yang mati semakin meningkat berbanding bulan lepas.“Kami semua berkampung di sini untuk memantau keadaan ikan dalam sangkar masing-masing selepas mengesan banyak ikan mati kebelakangan ini, apatah lagi hampir 80 peratus ikan yang ada di dalam sangkar ketika ini masih kecil dan lebih sensitif dengan perubahan cuaca,” katanya ketika ditemui Bernama di sini, hari ini.Beliau berkata cuaca panas dan paras air di kawasan laguna yang semakin menyusut menyebabkan bekalan oksigen di dalam air berkurangan sekali gus memberi kesan kepada ternakan menyebabkan ikan mudah kehilangan sisik dan cepat mati.

Katanya kebanyakan penternak ikan sangkar mula menggunakan enjin galah dan ‘blower’ bagi mengatasi masalah itu daripada terus berlanjutan.“Kami berusaha menggunakan pelbagai alternatif bagi menyelamatkan ternakan daripada mati kerana sudah mengeluarkan kos yang besar untuk membeli anak ikan kerapu dan siakap yang mencecah RM1.50 seekor selain membeli makanan ikan,” katanya.Sementara itu, Pengerusi Persatuan Penternak Ikan Laguna Sri Tujoh, Saifullah Che Mat berkata kira-kira 50 tan metrik ikan mati di laguna berkenaan setiap tahun dengan anggaran kerugian kira-kira RM750,000.

WARKAH luahan rasa petani, peladang, penternak dan nelayan disampaikan Wak Ibas ketika Pelancaran Hala Tuju Kementerian Pertanian dan Industri Asas Tani: Prioriti&Strategi 2019-2020, amat menyentuh perasaan.Ia menggambarkan realiti kehidupan dan tekanan golongan terbabit bagi meneruskan kehidupan. Dengan sisa hidup dimiliki, mereka setia menyumbang kudrat bagi menjamin keselamatan bekalan makanan negara, walaupun dibebani kekangan. Ia juga gambaran sebenar industri pengeluaran makanan negara. Hala tuju dilancarkan itu menggariskan keutamaan dan strategi bagi merancakkan sektor pertanian agar lebih berdaya saing.Ia ditunjangi lima hala tuju utama dan disokong 18 strategi dan 51 inisiatif, yang dirangka berasaskan tiga dimensi sektor agro makanan iaitu keselamatan makanan negara, ekonomi pembangunan luar bandar dan pelaburan swasta serta perdagangan antarabangsa.

Dalam menjamin keselamatan makanan, industri padi dan beras terus diberi perhatian sebagai komoditi utama dengan soal kehilangan padi lepas tuai dilihat ancaman besar, di samping perubahan iklim, ketidakstabilan harga input dan hasil pertanian serta serangan penyakit dan serangga.Kehilangan padi lepas tuai dianggar 7.9 peratus atau 205,000 tan pada 2016 berdasarkan kajian MARDI. Ia menyamai RM246 juta dan memberi tekanan kepada kedudukan kewangan negara. Justeru, pengendalian hasil lepas tuai diperkukuh, bagi meminimumkan kerugian.

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