Ex-MP calls for national meals plan in 2027 budget after stunting stats
Charles Santiago says stunting should be treated as a cost-of-living issue.
Former Klang MP Charles Santiago has called for the inclusion of a national meals plan in Malaysia's Budget 2027, following reports of child stunting in the capital city. Santiago argues that nutritionally balanced meals should not be unaffordable for Malaysian children. He emphasized that stunting should be treated as a cost-of-living issue, as families often have to cut back on nutritious food when they are forced to stretch every ringgit.
Santiago stressed that Malaysia should implement a meals plan providing children with balanced meals as part of the cost-of-living agenda, without waiting for other ministers to inform families of this need. Last week, Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad revealed that a national survey indicated that 23.4% of children in Kuala Lumpur were stunted, with 12.4% underweight, 8% wasting, and 7.5% overweight.
Stunting, which occurs when a child is too short for their age, is usually a result of chronic undernutrition or repeated illness, leading to adverse effects on brain development, learning, health, and future earnings. Santiago expressed concern over the rise in Malaysia's under-five stunting rate, which increased from 11.3% in 2011 to 20.7% in 2016, and remains high at 22% nationally, according to Unicef's latest estimate.
Written by urgent.news from Free Malaysia Today's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
