MEDIA RELEASE

School Feeding Program to Tackle Malnutrition Among Pupils, Level Playing Field & Improve Malaysian Food Production

Kuala Lumpur, 15 August 2019 – Khazanah Research Institute (KRI) today hosted a discussion session on “School Feeding Programs and Other Mass Nutrition Initiatives” to propose school feeding as a policy option to improve the nutrition of the country. The proposed school lunch program tackles three main challenges for schools and communities: ensuring food security, especially food safety, improving nutrition in schools and communities, improving student performance and promoting equality.

The proposal draws from the forthcoming “Addressing Malnutrition in Malaysia” report by Professor Dr Wan Manan Wan Muda (public health researcher and former Visiting Senior Fellow at KRI), Dr Jomo Kwame Sundaram (Senior Advisor at KRI) and Tan Zhai Gen (Research Associate at KRI). The report provides an overview of the nutrition status of Malaysians and policy options to address both micronutrient deficiencies (of vitamins and minerals such as iron and calcium) and diet-related non-communicable diseases (such as diabetes and those causing obesity). The Ministry of Education, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Agriculture and other relevant government ministries and agencies must work together to ensure the food provided is safe, healthy, nutritious and improves farmers’ welfare.

The session brought together participants from government ministries, agencies, researchers and civil society to debate and discuss how school feeding programs can help overcome malnutrition in Malaysia.

The Khazanah Research Institute carries out research on the pressing issues of the nation. To learn more about KRI and our research on public health and food, please visit www.krinstitute.org.

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Please contact Atiqah Bazilah Azlan at +603 2265 0018, or e-mail at [email protected] for any clarification or information.

About Professor Dr Wan Manan Wan Muda Dr Wan Manan was Professor of Nutrition and Public Health at Universiti Sains Malaysia in Penang, where he has spent 34 years lecturing in the field of nutrition and public health. His areas of expertise include anthropometry, which is the scientific study of the measurements and proportions of the human body; obesity; nutrition and environment; quality of life; health and capability; and issues in higher education.

He has published over 144 books, monographs, chapters in books and journal articles, and has been involved in over 40 research projects in the field of nutrition, health, quality of life, anthropology, education and civil society for the past 25 years as principal investigator and coinvestigator.

He has also carried out various community public health nutrition projects and research, particularly on topics related to undernutrition, obesity, and quality of life of underprivileged populations. Dr Wan Manan has a Master’s degree in Community Nutrition and Nutrition Education, as well as a PhD in Nutrition and Public Health from Columbia University in the United States.

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About Dr Jomo Kwame Sundaram Professor Jomo is Senior Advisor at Khazanah Research Institute. He was Professor at the (1986 - 2004), Founder-Chair of International Associates (IDEAs), UN Assistant Secretary General for Economic Development (2005 - 2012), Research Coordinator for the G24 Intergovernmental Group on International Monetary Affairs and Development (2006 - 2012), and Assistant Director General for Economic and Social Development, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (2012 - 2015). He received the 2007 Wassily Leontief Prize for Advancing the Frontiers of Economic Thought.

About Tan Zhai Gen Zhai Gen is a Research Associate at KRI. His research interests include food-related issues, including food security and nutrition, while also keenly interested in technological changes, economic development and the relationship between them. Prior to joining the Institute, Zhai Gen graduated from the University of Oxford with a Masters in Biochemistry.

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Panel Speakers 1. Puan Faridah Yang Razali, Timbalan Pengarah Bahagian Pengurusan Sekolah Harian (Murid), Ministry of Education 2. Pn. Zaiton Daud, Deputy Director, Nutrition Division, Ministry of Health 3. Professor Mirnalini Kandiah, Faculty of Applied Sciences, UCSI

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