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KOTA KINABALU – A total of 65 food operators in Sabah have registered for the Menu Rahmah programme, where a meal is priced at RM5, amid the higher cost of food in the state.
Sabah Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry (KPDN) director Georgie Abas said the state office will assist the operators in terms of promotions and monitor the quality of foods served by these operators.
“Without any financial assistance or subsidy from the government for the operators participating in the Menu Rahmah programme, the ministry is ready to assist them in the promotion and advertising to get more customers.
“The ministry will also constantly monitor these operators to ensure the meals prepared to fulfil the criteria of Menu Rahmah in terms of prices, quantity and quality,” he said in a statement here today.
Abas said this after launching the Menu Rahmah Programme for the Yayasan Sabah Technology College, where the meals are offered to students at the college’s Sembulan and Likas campus today.
Tawau has the most number with 14 operators, followed by Kota Kinabalu (10), Keningau and Sandakan each with six outlets, Papar and Semporna each with five outlets, Lahad Datu has four outlets, Kota Marudu has three outlets, two each in Beaufort, Kudat, Penampang, Tuaran and Ranau, and one each in Putatan and Kota Belud.
Menu Rahmah, a programme introduced by the KPDN, is a privately driven initiative to include food operators in the government’s effort to reduce the higher cost of living faced by Malaysians, especially low-income earners.
A Sabah opposition leader had previously urged the government to expand the Menu Rahmah programme in Sabah, claiming a RM5 meal is literally unheard of or unseen in the state these days.
Consumer group, Sabah West Coast Consumer Association, meanwhile called on the government to assist food operators by reducing the rental cost to their premises so more can introduce the Menu Rahmah.
A quick survey by The Vibes in local kopitiams revealed that the average price for a cup of ice coffee in Sabah is RM3 and RM2 for a piece of plain roti canai, which is the price set for Menu Rahmah. – The Vibes, February 24, 2023