Spotlight on food waste in Malaysia as Ramadan bazaar trash becomes fashion

A food waste-reduction group collected over 46,000kg of unsold food over the first two weeks of Ramadan this year, but said the actual wastage was likely to be much higher

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Volunteer models wearing suits filled with discarded food hold up placards urging the public to reduce food wastage during the launch of MySaveFood’s #BazirRamadan campaign in Kuala Lumpur last week. Photo: MySaveFood

Published: 5:24pm, 20 Mar 2025Updated: 6:34pm, 20 Mar 2025

Fed up with how much food Malaysians throw away every year, anti-food waste advocates have hit upon a way to shine a spotlight on the issue – by putting together a trash “fashion” showcase of discarded food from Ramadan bazaars.

Volunteer models clad in suits made from clear plastic pockets filled with everything from discarded nasi lemak to fried noodles and kuih, or sweet cakes, walked the red carpet at a bazaar in Kuala Lumpur to launch the #BazirRamadan campaign last week. The name riffs off the Malay word bazir, which means waste.

“The public were shocked. They were wondering what we were doing at the bazaar, disturbing people as they went about buying food. Some thought it was not proper,” said Ainul A’syara Kamal, deputy director of event organiser MySaveFood, a food loss and waste reduction group.

Ramadan bazaars are a key cultural feature of the annual Muslim fasting month.

Originally meant to provide easy access to food for devotees to break their fast in the evening, they have since grown into communal – and highly lucrative – operations.

Stalls offer appetising options ranging from traditional fare such as murtabak and grilled fish to Texas-style smoked brisket and Korean fried chicken.

But this huge spread of food sold daily over the entire month also leads to enormous volumes of waste.