Sabah assistant minister warns of possible wastage in free breakfast plan

Sabah Assistant Minister of Education and Innovation Jenifer Lasimbang says there could be possible food wastage with the free breakfast initiative. - NSTP/Malai Rosmah Tuah.

By Olivia Miwil - August 30, 2019 @ 12:41pm

KOTA KINABALU: Free breakfast initiative for primary schoolchildren is a good policy, and will be beneficial especially for children that come from poor family background.

However, there could be possible food wastage and that the move was also inappropriate for those with special dietary preferences, said State Assistant Minister of Education and Innovation Jenifer Lasimbang.

“Kids from different families have different food preferences. I have discussed with school headmasters about this. We believe there is a possible risk of food wastage.

“There should be options for families that could afford breakfast or those with special dietary preferences to opt out (of the free breakfast).”

“The programme suits the bottom 40 group who do not have proper breakfast or could not afford to have pocket money to buy their food,” she told the New Straits Times.

On Monday, the Education Ministry said starting January, a free breakfast programme for pupils in primary schools nationwide would be launched.

Its minister Dr Maszlee Malik said the initiative was meant for children to have a precise eating schedule and balanced eating habits to ensure that they continue to stay healthy and active.

There are about 2.7 million pupils in government and government-aided primary schools eligible for free, healthy breakfast when the 2020 school session begins.

It was reported that the government would have to spend between RM2 billion and RM3 billion annually on the programme, depending on the menu.