Menu Rahmah helps cut food inflation, says minister

The Menu Rahmah initiative has successfully contributed to the reduction of the inflation rate of food-outside-the-home prices for the first time since August 2021, says Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister Salahuddin Ayub.

He said inflation for food outside the home had dropped from 9.6% to 9.3% since the initiative, pioneered by voluntary food operators, was introduced in January.

Salahuddin added that the initiative had increased the sales of participating companies by 25% to 30% on average.

"That's why they (the companies) have named this Menu Rahmah initiative as a crowd-puller. The gains in volume have become an attraction (for companies to participate) and it gives profit to the companies," he told a press conference after launching Menu Rahmah at the Wangsa Maju KFC and Pizza Hut restaurants in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

Salahuddin said that KFC and Pizza Hut, owned by QSR Brands, had become the 3,000th company to participate in the Menu Rahmah initiative.

"This proves that this initiative has been able to conquer or win the hearts of industry players who let part of their profits be returned to the people," he said.

Salahuddin also announced that a consortium involving industry players would be set up to improve the initiative.

Meanwhile, Salahuddin said the ministry had not received any complaints about an increase in price or lack of supply of coarse and fine-granulated sugar since the government allowed two local sugar producing companies to market clear refined white sugar.