As the cost of living continues to rise in Malaysia, driven in part by the soon-to-be implemented Sales and Service Tax (SST) on 1 July 2025, more families will be finding it harder to put nutritious food on the table.

While SST may not apply to all food products, its indirect effect through higher transport, service, and business operation costs has raised the prices of everything from fresh vegetables, fruits to basic groceries.

Notably, tropical fruits like bananas, pineapples, and rambutans will be taxed at 5 per cent, along with essential imported fruits such as apples, mandarin oranges, grapes, berries, avocados, lychees, and starfruit.

These are not luxury items. They are daily dietary staples for millions of urban Malaysians, providing essential nutrients like fibre, vitamin C, antioxidants, and healthy fats.

In many cases, these imported fruits cannot be produced locally at a sufficient scale, making them irreplaceable within the current food system.

What used to be a balanced meal is now a budgeting challenge. Families from all walks of life and across all income levels now have to prioritise affordability over nutrition.

While economic policies aim to boost national revenue, their ripple effects are deeply felt in household kitchens where meals are increasingly shaped by price rather than nutritional value. The shift is understandable, but it comes at a cost to our health.

Middle-income families are also struggling to stretch their budgets, opting for quantity over quality to feed their households. This growing “health affordability gap” is dangerous. It leads to a population that is fed but not nourished.

This issue ties closely to dietary inequality where socioeconomic, lifestyle, geography, and systemic access determine not just how much food people can buy, but the quality of that food.

Today’s dietary patterns are increasingly unsafe, unstable, and unequal, especially for a significant portion of the population. When good nutrition becomes inaccessible, the consequences are felt across the entire nation.

This dietary shift is driving a surge in malnutrition, seen in both undernutrition and rising obesity rates, especially among urban low-income communities where access to fresh, healthy food is limited.

Poor diets compromise immune function, lead to more sick days, reduce workplace productivity, and place a heavier burden on the national healthcare system.

For children, the effects are even more serious: stunted growth, reduced cognitive performance, and long-term health complications.

If this issue remains unaddressed, the gap between those who can afford to eat well and those who cannot continue to widen – posing a serious threat not only to individual wellbeing but also to Malaysia’s social stability, economic strength, and long-term development.

If no measures are taken, the future after SST may see

i. increased demand for public healthcare due to diet-related illnesses,

ii. greater burden on school feeding programmes as more children arrive undernourished, and

iii. wider social gaps between families who can afford balanced meals and those who cannot.

Good nutrition is a right and necessity

The government should zero-rate SST for essential nutritious items like imported fruits such as apples, oranges, grapes, berries and avocados. These fruits are daily sources of vitamins and fibre that should be accessible to all income groups.

Nutrition equity must go beyond borders. Good health should not depend on whether some fruit is grown locally or imported.

Encourage supermarkets and grocers to offer rotational weekly discounts on both local and common imported fruits under a “Healthy Fruit for All” label.

Many families in urban segments rely on promotions to make purchasing decisions. Labelled discounts on both local and essential imported fruits (e.g. apples, grapes, berries) can increase affordability and encourage healthier choices.

Retailers should be incentivised to include both local and essential imported fruits in their healthy bundles.

Good nutrition is not a luxury. It is a fundamental right that must be safeguarded through accessible policy and practical action. The SST rollout may be necessary for economic sustainability, but nutrition must not become collateral damage.

Without intervention, we risk reversing progress on SDGs related to health, hunger, and inequality. Every action we take now will determine whether Malaysia remains on track toward the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development or falls into a nutrition divide that harms generations to come.

Let’s ensure that the right to eat well does not become a privilege. A healthy Malaysia begins with affordable nutrition for all.

-- BERNAMA

Dr Salini Devi Rajendran is a Senior Lecturer at Taylor’s Culinary Institute, Faculty of Social Sciences and Leisure Management at Taylor’s University.