A weekend-long ‘Stop Food Waste’ initiative was held from 26 – 28 April 2024 at Megah Rise Mall, in its efforts to educate and inspire the community to minimize food waste.
Held in conjunction with Stop Food Waste Day which falls on 24 April, this initiative was jointly organized by PPB Properties and Saving Graze. It aims to curb food waste and increase awareness among the community about the growing problem of edible, avoidable food waste entering our landfills.
The strategic partner behind the initiative, Saving Graze is a social enterprise established in 2019 with the mission to combat food waste in Malaysia. They founded Malaysia’s first surplus market and café, Graze Market and Graze Eatery which are based in Ara Damansara.
“Addressing food waste in Malaysia is critical to enhancing food security by redirecting surplus to those in need, minimizes environmental impact by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and conserving precious resources,” said Clara Wan, founder of Saving Graze.
“Tackling food waste is essential for sustainable development and resource management in Malaysia. We are grateful for the opportunity to collaborate on this event, which helps us raise awareness, inspire action and drive positive change towards a more sustainable and equitable food system in the Petaling Jaya community,” she said.
Interactive workshops and activities held throughout the weekend included an educational mini-exhibition, workshops, cooking demonstrations and a children’s activity. Specially curated to promote reducing food waste and food loss, the weekend also taught visitors how to turn their food waste into compost, such as using black soldier fly larvae and traditional composting.
Furthermore, the event offered a platform to eight eco-conscious social enterprises and entrepreneurs, including Quinterra and Entomal, which promote composting with black soldier fly larvae to sell compost products, while Paperbox Malaysia, Graze Market and others, to promote surplus and rescued food products.
The mini exhibition aims to educate and spread awareness of the importance of fighting food waste and food loss, which includes a wall for visitors to pledge their commitment to reducing food waste.
The weekend’s activities were a success, which saw more than 350 participants from all walks of life including children and families, and over 100 pledges.
The weekend is an extension of PPB Properties’ long-term sustainability initiative, The REplace Project. The division hopes to continue its long-term efforts towards promoting sustainability and environmental consciousness to its communities. The Project is slated to roll out at other retail malls with a commitment for further educational initiatives.
For more information about The REplace Project and other sustainability events, please visit PPB Properties’ website https://ppbproperties.com.my/corporate-social-responsibility/ or Facebook page.
