PETALING JAYA: Malaysians need to change their eating habits or reign it in to tackle the ever-increasing cost of living as inflation will continue to hurt their pockets, said University Tun Abdul Razak economist Dr Barjoyai Bardai.
He said eating out has become a habit because during the Covid-19 pandemic, people were not allowed out of their homes, adding that when restrictions were lifted, people who felt they had been “caged”, rushed out to eat and this has slowly evolved into a habit.
“This change of habit is not only limited to eating out but also ordering food for home delivery. People think when they are ordering food, they are eating in.
“They don’t realise the cost of the food is three times higher than cooking at home. Although they are being hit in the pocket by higher food costs, many Malaysians mistakenly believe they are being prudent.”
Barjoyai said a piece of chicken used to cost RM2 but today, it could easily hit RM7 and people do not realise this.
He added that the public may be suffering but their spending is being fuelled by the use of credit, which continues to keep them in debt.
“People want to feel they have the means to live a slightly luxurious life but they have not considered the cost of credit. Eating exotic food is also becoming a phenomenon here because no one thinks about what it costs.
“Eating out or home delivery should not become a norm. The people need to be weaned off this habit and they need to go back to eating healthy food and saving the excess funds.”
Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli said data from the November 2022 Consumer Price Index shows that one category of expenditure that most affects inflation is the price of food and non-alcoholic beverages, which is the largest expenditure group for households.
According to the Statistics Department, inflation for food at home has fallen from 6.4% in July to 5.8% in November. But for food away from home, inflation arose from 7.8% to 9.6% in the same period.
Apart from the food group, others that recorded a high increase were restaurants and hotels at 6.9%, followed by transport at 5.3%; furnishings, household equipment and routine household maintenance at 4.4% and housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels at 4.0%.
Malaysia’s inflation rate in September 2022 was recorded at 4.5%, lower than the 4.7% in August.
Federation of Malaysian Consumer Associations president Datuk Dr Marimuthu Nadason said people’s lifestyles have changed over the last years and eating out has become a trend.
He said many people today find it easier to eat out rather than cook at home, although the cost is higher.
“The public cannot be blamed for choosing to eat out. The price of everything is going up because in total, Malaysia is an import nation, not a producing one.
“If a person wants to be a smart consumer, then he must make smart choices on the way he spends his funds. People might be spending money that they don’t have, but they can’t be forced to do otherwise,” he added.
“The present behaviour pattern of the public cannot be changed overnight to help them better understand how they are spending their money. They should be made to understand basic accounting.
“Every family should keep a small ledger to record their expenditure. This will help them take stock of their spending and understand where their money is going each month.”