In Kuala Lumpur, children go hungry as food inflation squeezes poor despite Malaysia ‘getting richer’

A Unicef study found 52 per cent of children in low-income households in the capital ate fewer than three meals a day, with many families selling personal items to get by

The UN agency outlined a slew of recommendations and urged the government to implement them using cash saved from planned cuts to fuel price subsidies

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Many low-income families in Kuala Lumpur are struggling to afford basic foods like rice and chicken amid soaring living costs. Photo: Reuters

Published: 1:38pm, 8 May 2024Updated: 1:41pm, 8 May 2024

One in every two children in low-income households in Kuala Lumpur eat fewer than three meals a day, according to a United Nations report published on Wednesday, as high inflation forces the Malaysian capital city’s poorest to forgo food or rely on low-nutrition options like instant noodles.

Recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic has been uneven in Malaysia, where the perennially weak ringgit currency has left families dealing with higher prices of basic foods like rice and chicken due to increased import costs.

Unicef said 95 per cent of the children from low-income households surveyed live in relative poverty, while 40 per cent were part of households whose earnings place them below the poverty line, measured at 2,816 ringgit (US$590) per month.

Muhammed Abdul Khalid, head of research firm DM Analytics which conducted the study for the UN children’s agency, said the figures were especially stark when put against the rebound in Malaysia’s economy, which grew at a steady 3.7 per cent pace in 2023.

“The country is getting richer, but our children are eating less,” Muhammed said on Wednesday when presenting the findings of the report.

The study urged the government to introduce a universal childcare allowance for 1,000 days to support parents from pre-birth to two years of age as well as for people with disabilities and their carers.