AGNES Ramasamy, 38, is not too keen to talk about her predicament.

The single mother of two school-going children does not want people to look down on the poor, or risk having her ex-husband raise hell for “airing their dirty laundry”.

But life has been difficult. So much so, she has to take up two jobs to make ends meet for her children, aged 16 and 10. Agnes is among many single mothers in the B40 (low income) bracket struggling to provide healthy meals for their children.

“It is not about airing our dirty laundry. It is about the reality on the ground. Things are so expensive nowadays. A single trip to buy groceries will hover around RM200.

“But my children are growing and at the very least they deserve healthy food. Even though I am busy, I will always find time to cook for them,” says Agnes, who resides in Klang.

Earning about RM2,000 as a cleaner and part-time cashier at a sundry shop, Agnes sometimes has to revise her shopping list to meet the monthly budget whenever produce prices change.

“After paying off bills and rent, I only have a few hundred left. But now I have to cut down on certain things like bread, fish and some vegetables like green beans and long eggplants, as their price varies according to market venue.

“As of now, I’m buying cheaper alternatives like long beans and more tomatoes. And sadly, sometimes instant noodles in between.”

Agnes is not alone.

Food affordability is a growing concern for many households, as minimum-wage workers in Malaysia must work significantly longer hours than those in other countries to afford basic food items, according to a study by Universiti Malaya’s Social Wellbeing Research Centre (SWRC).

Food unaffordability?

“Food affordability in Malaysia is increasingly shaped by urbanisation, wage structures and market dynamics. With nearly 80% of Malaysians now residing in urban areas, access to food is no longer determined by availability but by affordability,” says visiting expert, social security economist Dr Amjad Rabi, who co-authored the study with SWRC director Prof Datuk Norma Mansor.

Titled “Food Affordability in Malaysia: When Markets and Money Decide What to Eat”, the working paper found that despite food prices being lower than the global average in Malaysia, income inequality and low wages continue to restrict access to essential nutrition for a significant portion of the population.

According to the World Bank, Malaysia’s food price level stands at 83.08% of the world average, indicating that food remains relatively inexpensive compared with global standards.

However, Malaysia’s wages, particularly its minimum wage, are lower than those in peer countries.

“In Malaysia, not only is the minimum wage low, but the proportion of workers who make this salary is high – in 2023, one out of three were earning the minimum wage, and over 30% of workers were earning less than two-thirds of the median wage. This is more than double the 14% rate seen in OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries,” says Amjad.

According to the country’s human rights commission Suhakam, vulnerable groups, including women, are most affected by this.

Other than making up a big portion of the low wage earner group, many women are also heading single-parent households.

“Women, especially those leading households, face significant hardships due to escalating food costs, further hindering their ability to secure adequate and nutritious food for themselves and their families.

“Approximately 74% of female-headed households report that their income is insufficient to meet food needs, leading to reduced food intake and significant financial strain,” Suhakam states in its concept paper for a recent forum, “Realising the right to food in Malaysia: Bridging gaps and ensuring food for all”.

“This vulnerability highlights the broader challenges women encounter in fulfilling their families’ right to food – access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs, and food preferences for an active and healthy life – particularly for their children.”

Recognising the critical role women play in ensuring the realisation of the right to food, Suhakam notes that many nevertheless face the greatest risk of hunger.

This is echoed by United Nations' children rights agency Unicef  Malaysia nutrition specialist Joey Eng, who spoke at the forum.

“Women are the primary food providers in many household, but the poor are the ones that will go hungry the most; many of these mothers skip meals or eat less so that their children can get enough to eat.

“The struggle is even greater for single mothers and among marginalised communities. So for women, the issue is not just about access to food, but it is also about who eats last and who sacrifices the most. And too often, that burden always falls on women.”

Concurring, Amjad, who was the keynote speaker at the forum, says the low wages limit many households’ ability to consistently afford a nutritious diet.

“Healthy choices are expensive once you look at it relative to the minimum wage.

“When I look at a banana, for example, even if it’s cultured locally, it’s still expensive,” says Amjad.

Compounding this is the food inflation that has spiked steadily over the last decade.

Food inflation

According to the Department of Statistics Malaysia’s (DOSM) recent “Analysis of Annual Consumer Price Index (CPI) 2024” report, while the CPI – which tracks the average price changes for goods and services – grew from 103.2 points in 2011 to 132.8 points in 2024, staple food items have seen higher rises.

Similarly, while the country’s headline inflation rate fell from 2.5% in 2023 to 1.8% in 2024, the inflation rate of food and beverages, which stood at 4.8% in 2023, remained higher than the national inflation rate as it only fell to 2.0%.

DOSM also highlighted that in urban areas, food prices rose by 51.19% between 2011 and 2024, while rural areas saw a smaller increase of 36.27%.

The prices of some Malaysian staples have also jumped over the past 13 years: a plate of plain nasi lemak rose from RM2.03 in 2011 to RM3.68 in 2024, while even a plate of white rice has increased from RM1.14 to RM1.98. The price of beef spiked from RM19.05 per kilogram in 2011 to RM37.84 in 2024.

This has created an affordability gap, forcing many households to turn to cheaper, unhealthier foods like instant noodles.

“In the rural areas, it used to be that you eat what you fish and plant. Your pattern of consumption depends on seasonality, right? In certain seasons, you eat more of certain things,” Amjad points out.

“That pattern changes when you move to cities. Your food supply becomes based on your ability to pay and its relative prices.

“You have your budget and budget constraints, which you allocate to get food.”

It does not help that unhealthy and fast foods are often the cheapest, he adds, citing The Economist’s Big Mac index, which looks at the cost of Big Mac burgers around the world.

“So what the survey found is that at US$2.89 [RM12.40], Malaysia is among the cheapest countries to have that meal.”

Health impacts

Malnutrition in Malaysia is well recorded: According to the National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) 2024, 95.1% of Malaysians did not eat the recommended five servings of fruits and vegetables a day.

This is especially pronounced in children and adolescents. The recent NHMS 2024 Nutrition report showed that only 12.8% of adolescents (10-19 years old) had the recommended two servings or more of fruits daily while only 5.2% had the three servings of vegetables daily.

For children aged five to nine years, who are recommended to consume at least five out of 10 food groups daily to ensure adequate nutrients, only one in two did so.

The report also showed that fruits, green leafy vegetables and other vegetables are the least consumed food groups among young children.

Suhakam points out that children do not only face the challenge of getting consistent nutritious meals, but also adequate meals.

“Various studies highlight this: Unicef’s 2018 study on child urban poverty for one showed that children, especially those living in urban low-cost flats, face alarming rates of meal reduction and skipping, with over 10% of children receiving fewer than three meals daily and experiencing undernourishment.

“It also showed that households lacked sufficient funds to purchase food, with 15% experiencing this issue repeatedly.”

This obviously has had negative health and developmental health impacts.

“As the NHMS 2024 report showed, Malaysian children and adolescents were suffering from the double burden of malnutrition: 14.4% were overweight with 13.6% reaching obesity while 8.1% were stunted,” says Eng.

While information on nutrition and healthy lifestyles are among the influencing factors, data also shows that income is a crucial aspect.

“When women are unable to access adequate food, it will have a serious impact on their health, their family’s health, and their future generation.

“So those women that couldn’t get nutritious food may face more health issues, leading to higher medical costs and lower productivity. For pregnant mothers, the risks are even greater.

"And when mothers struggle, their children also struggle," Eng says.

This creates a cycle of poverty and poor health that affects the entire family and community.

“Can you imagine what happens to children when they don’t get enough food to eat?

“A hungry child is not just missing a meal, but constant hunger stops them from growing, learning, and thriving.

“Lack of food can also affect their brain development, making it harder to focus in school and limiting their future opportunities. 

"The constant stress of hunger takes a toll on their mental health, leading to anxiety, depression, and behavioural struggles,” Eng says.