Social Sciences Research February 2023

Making The Most of Menu Rahmah

Lee Bih Ni
Faculty of Psychology and Education
University of Malaysia Sabah

Abstract
This paper discusses the Rahmah Menu needs a stronger framework to ensure its
sustainability. There should be a regulatory and monitoring system to check food and
beverages in terms of quality, portion, cleanliness and type of food. Unannounced
inspections and communication with traders through collaboration with local
governments, including the Department of Health and the Department of Education,
should be done. No compromise on food standards. Knowing that the initiative aims
to eradicate food poverty and curb the rising cost of living, the root causes need to
be addressed as well. With the rising cost of raw materials, traders are struggling to
make ends meet.

Keywords: Rahmah menu, monitoring system, earning a living

Introduction
Regulators have to balance with not only ensuring that traders meet the nutritional
needs of different age groups, but also protecting the welfare of traders. This will
attract more traders to participate. Menu guides can be prepared for restaurants.
Apart from looking from a food safety perspective, policy makers can also
incorporate the government's inspiration to achieve a green Malaysia by encouraging
the reduction of plastic containers. Cultivating the habit of carrying food containers
not only reduces the cost of raw materials for traders, but also minimizes the use of
plastic food containers. Tax deductions can be given to small and medium-sized
enterprises that respond to green initiatives in their operations. Food poverty not
only affects B40 households but many urban residents also find it difficult to eat
three meals a day due to the rising cost of living. Furthermore, many traders at
mixed rice stalls throw away their food instead of distributing it to the needy. The
Rahmah menu can be an umbrella to explore more collaborations to address not only
the rising cost of living but also alternatives to reduce food waste (Iris, 2023).

Monitor Restaurants
The Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living will constantly monitor restaurants
and eateries involved in the Rahmah Menu program in the state. Its director in
Sabah Georgie Abas said this was to ensure that the meals provided by the
organization met the program's criteria in terms of price, quantity and quality. So far,
a total of 63 premises have already registered under the program in Sabah after the
launch of the Yayasan Sabah College of Technology (YSCT) Rahmah Menu program
at the Sembulan campus here on Friday 24 February 2023. Georgie launched the
program together with YSCT. chief executive Samin Ongki. The college is the first
institute of higher learning in Sabah to offer the Rahmah Menu in its cafeteria. Since
the program was introduced in Sabah, Georgie said the initiative has attracted a lot
of interest from eateries. This program has received response from restaurants in
Sabah (so far) where there are several restaurants that implement the Rahmah
Menu as soon as they hear about the launch in Peninsular Malaysia. For that
purpose, he said the Sabah office is committed to driving the implementation of the
program among food entrepreneurs throughout the state through promotion and
publicity assistance across various media channels. The Ministry acts as a platform

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for entrepreneurs to promote or share tips and ideas regarding the implementation
of Rahmah Menu. Although there is no financial assistance or subsidy from the
government to restaurant operators or traders for this program, the ministry is still
ready to help.

This is in terms of publicity and promotion to encourage customers to visit

restaurants that offer the Rahmah Menu. Engagement sessions with business
associations have also been conducted by his office, adding that all branch offices in
the state have received positive feedback. A complete announcement poster with a
QR code for restaurant registration is also available on the ministry's Facebook page.
This is in addition to announcements on its WhatsApp group and distribution of
printed leaflets by price monitoring officers. This ensures that this program gets
widespread publicity and participation among restaurants throughout Sabah.
Rahmah Menu Program is driven by the private sector. The ministry encourages
businesses to participate as part of their corporate social responsibility to help people
in need. Food entrepreneurs who respond to the government's call by participating in
the program can promote their restaurants or eateries more widely, as a result of the
assistance and publicity provided by the ministry. People are encouraged to support
Menu Rahmah and share their experiences of eating under the program on social
media (Durie, 2023).

Not Just Food For The Poor

Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister Datuk Seri Salahuddin Ayub today
rejected the view that the food offered under the Rahmah Menu scheme is only
suitable for the poor. The food sold as part of the Rahmah Menu is meant to be
enjoyed by all walks of life in Malaysia. The Rahmah menu which costs RM5 is
something big for the people, it is a premium dish. As a minister, in my involvement
with business, I don't have the heart to allow them to prepare a low-class menu,
with gravy and some say poor quality rice or poor quality fish and chicken. People
who are willing to accept the menu, and are responsible for the ministry. People
have visited locations with Rahmah Menu such as Nasi Kandar Kaya, there are 30
types of dishes where they support the initiative by allocating a small portion for
Rahmah Menu. People also don't name the menu B40 because everyone can enjoy
it, it's not a poor man's dish, it's a food for all. B40 technically refers to the bottom
40th percentile of income earners in the country. The Menu Rahmah program was
launched on January 31 as part of the unity government's short-term efforts to
reduce the cost of living crisis for low-income groups. The program involves private
firms offering balanced meals and drinks for no more than RM5, all without
government funding or subsidies.

The scheme gained controversy when a PAS member of parliament, Dr Halimah Ali,
appeared to suggest that the food on offer might be of such low quality that it could
expose consumers to cancer, autoimmune diseases and autism. The PAS MP denied
he made such claims about the Menu Rahmah programme, and challenged critics to
refer to Hansard for what he said. One of those who did so, Lembah Pantai PKR
Member of Parliament and Minister of Communications and Digital Fahmi Fadzil, said
the meaning of his statement was clear. According to the official transcript of
parliament, Dr Halimah said as follows: "I have no problem with the term 'Rahmah'
but don't let ordinary people, B40, be supplied with low quality food and it can be."
exposing them to cancer, autoimmune disease, autism, and more."

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Today, Menu Rahmah will also help the M40 (middle 40th percentile of income) who
are growing their finances. The government introduced this and we saw a lot of
support from the people, and many more have come forward to support the initiative
including fast food chains such as Burger King, McDonald's, KFC and most recently
Old Town White Coffee, and all highway rest stops will be available. the Rahmah
Menu. In relation to that, the Rahmah Sales scheme has also been well received by
consumers and businesses. Econsave last week issued a statement showing that
their sales increased by 30 percent after introducing the Rahmah Sale. Jualan
Rahmah is another ministry initiative that offers basic necessities at discounted
prices. Participants during the initiative include Mydin, Speedmart 99, KK Mart and
Aeon Big. The Ministry then suggested that the Rahmah Menu be brought to the
Parliament building one day as a meal for all Parliament staff and let them
experience the initiative for themselves (Soo, 2023).

No Discrimination
Rahmah's menu does not discriminate any party and the dishes prepared according
to the best quality and level can be enjoyed by anyone, whether they are low income
or T20. Domestic Trade Development Deputy Secretary-General, Datuk Roziah
Abudin said so far he has not received any complaints regarding parties taking
advantage by offering different menus than the prescribed recommendations. All the
menus offered are of high quality and the food is always at the best level that
anyone can enjoy. This rahmah menu does not provide other menus that do not
have standards even though it is the same menu (available in the store) the
difference is that it is sold at a price of RM5. Food entrepreneurs who offer this menu
do not directly ask for an identity card or any document to prove the income of a
person who is eligible to eat this menu which can be purchased by anyone including
the T20 group. In this case, there was no discrimination, nor did the ministry receive
any complaints. For those with low incomes, they have the option (to save), but we
don't prevent the other party (T20) from buying. Penang State Level Rahmah Kasih
Sayang Menu Launch Ceremony at a food restaurant in Bertam Perdana.

As of February 25, 2023, according to the database of the Ministry of Domestic

Trade and Cost of Living (KPDN) there are almost 600 registered food operators who
implement rahmah menus in their premises throughout the country. Domestic Trade
Development is confident that there are still food operators who offer rahmah menus
but do not register themselves in the database provided. The implementation of this
program is voluntary and depends on the ability of traders, but we hope that many
traders register because it can help the community know the location of the Rahmah
menu, including helping traders make announcements. During the implementation of
this program at the beginning there was concern that it would cause losses but
thankfully the feedback received after it was implemented the existence of this
rahmah menu caused their premises to be visited by the public (Nur Izzati, 2023).

The Rahmah Menu affordable food initiative will be extended to non-halal

restaurants to meet the needs of non-Muslims, said domestic trade and cost of living
minister Salahuddin Ayub. When delivering the closing speech of the royal decree in
the Dewan Rakyat, Salahuddin said the initiative might be called the Kasih Sayang
Menu. If the restaurant is not halal, then we don't want to use the Rahmah Menu
name. A Chinese business association that wanted to offer this menu suggested we
use the name Kasih Sayang Menu. The Ministry is open to holding engagement
sessions with other Chinese associations that may be interested in offering food at
reasonable prices (Faiz, 2023).

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Conclusion
The menu Rahmah offers has now expanded and is no longer just lunch and dinner.
Initially, the Development of Domestic Trade set this rahmah menu meal consisting
of a complete meal that has carbohydrates, protein and vegetables for lunch and
dinner. But now the definition of rahmah menu is growing when there are other
dishes such as bread, sweets and even durian are also sold with rahmah price which
shows that the word rahmah means love has been accepted by all. The Ministry of
Domestic Trade and Cost of Living (KPDN) launched the Menu Rahmah program in
early 2023 to encourage restaurants to sell food at reasonable prices. With 15,000
restaurants committed to the initiative of providing food for as low as RM5, the
government hopes that the low-income group will be able to afford food despite the
rising cost of living.

References
Durie Rainer Fong. (2023). Ministry to monitor eateries under Menu Rahmah in
Sabah. Kuala Lumpur: NST.

Faiz Zainudin. (2023). Menu Kasih Sayang, instead of Menu Rahmah, in non-halal
eateries. Kuala Lumpur: FMT

Iris Ng Pei Yi. (2023). Making the most of Menu Rahmah. Kuala Lumpur: NST.

Nur Izzati Mohamad. (2023). Menu Rahmah: Tiada diskriminasi, T20 pun boleh
nikmati. Kuala Lumpur: MyMetro.

Soo Wern Jun. (2023). Menu Rahmah not just meals for poor people. Kuala Lumpur:
Malay Mail.