Healthy Bites, Healthy Life!

(Note: This content is a 6-min read)

TLDR: Malaysian cuisines could be argued to be one of the most unhealthy diets in the world. It is not shocking to see that Malaysia has the highest rate of obesity or overweight among Asian countries. However, since the start of the pandemic, we can see that people are slowly changing their lifestyles and prefer to eat healthily. The main concern is the food sold at shops which is mainly unhealthy. Ata Plus’ upcoming issuer plans to serve healthy grilled food that is on the go. As more people return to the office, we expect sales of food outlets to increase exponentially, which is beneficial for F&B kiosks moving forward.

Malaysia’s unhealthy food obsession

It is no secret that the world eats more fast food than ever before, and Malaysia is no exception. As mall outlets aggressively market all the different kinds of Western fast food – doughnuts, burgers, chocolate chip cookies – across Asia, a lot of young people find it impossible to resist the temptation. Dr Feisul Idzwan Mustapha, deputy director of non-communicable disease at the health ministry, told MalaysiaNow popular food trends are going in an unhealthy direction because sweet and fatty foods appeal more to people’s taste buds than “bland” healthier options. However, it is not only the fast-food restaurants that we should be wary of. An article on Reuters suggested that the traditional Malaysian diet may be among the world’s most unhealthy cuisines, as it contains ingredients such as coconut milk with high cholesterol, clarified butter, and sugar cane. You could say that unhealthy nature has been around for centuries. It is more worrying when you know that food hunting is one of the favourite pastime hobbies for many Malaysians. Whether it is a deep-fried dim sum in the northern city of Ipoh or curried offal rice in the island state of Penang, visitors travel long distances to find these foods.

Source: Bad eating habits can lead to obesity

Therefore, it is not shocking to see that Malaysia has the highest rate of obesity or overweight among Asian countries, with 64 per cent of males and 65 per cent of females being either obese or overweight. This is mainly caused by the unhealthy eating habits and also the physical inactivity of many people in this nation. According to the Malaysia National Health and Morbidity Survey 2015, about 40 per cent of Malaysians are physically inactive. This can become a serious problem because physical inactivity, or lack of exercise, may adversely affect your
health.

Improved health consciousness in Malaysia

Nonetheless, the health consciousness for many people in the country is slowly changing for the better. It could be that the pandemic changed the mindset of many people. Nowadays, we can see more people going out for a jog or a cycle in the morning or evening. Perhaps, people want to boost up their immune system by living a healthier lifestyle compared to before. The challenge now is eating healthy food regularly. Restaurants and food kiosks in malls tend to serve unhealthy meals due to the overwhelming demand for these products.

Why F&B Avoids Selling Healthy Meals

To be financially successful is always the main goal of any business. However, it is also important to serve consumers the best products that they can get. In the F&B industry, these translate into healthy foods and beverages. Nonetheless, a healthy meal can take some time to prepare food that includes fresh fruits and vegetables tend to be pricier than others due to the tedious process which involves human labour to grow them. One of the restaurants that serve healthy food is Simple Life, which sells healthy vegetarian food.

Credit: Typical Malaysian food is not very healthy. So how do we eat better?

According to a new report by Food Industry Asia (FIA) and research firm IGD, almost all Malaysians (99 per cent) are interested in maintaining a healthy diet and are actively trying to improve their consumption habits. However, in the 2015 National Health and Morbidity Survey, they found that 94 per cent of Malaysians do not eat the five servings of fruits and vegetables a day recommended by the Malaysian government. This is mainly due to the higher cost of these fruits and vegetables. Keep an eye out for Grillbox by Sagfood (Malaysia) Ata Plus’ upcoming issuer who makes affordable healthy meals will surely make your taste buds dance! Sagfood (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd will be doing their equity crowdfunding soon to fund the expansion of their food kiosk business, which is Grillbox. It is now available in United Point

Shopping Mall and they are looking to open 10 more outlets in the next 12 months including in The Sphere and Sunway Velocity. Grillbox is selling attractive grilled and fried meat using healthy ingredients at a very affordable price.

Their unique grilled food will surely grab your attention as they use only the best quality of ingredients required to become a successful F&B business. Grilled dishes used to only be reserved for Friday nights for those who want to enjoy a pricey meal with friends or family. Apart from diners and fancy restaurants, it is rare to see people selling grilled meat/seafood, especially not the ones that you can take on the go. This special selling point could attract a lot of office workers especially during lunch hours as they can enjoy a healthy and affordable meal without having to spend 25-30 mins waiting for their food to be served.

As more people start going to the office, we foresee a vast improvement in the sales and revenue of food outlets, especially the ones in shopping malls. Hence, Ata Plus, Equity Crowdfunding Platform in Malaysia’s upcoming issuer would have a great potential for sustainable investment. Stay tuned or visit Ata Plus’ website to learn more about them!