Semeja Harapan campaign connects food rescue with community donations

Lotus’s Malaysia and Mutiara Food Bank (MFB) have launched Kempen Semeja Harapan, a campaign aimed at reducing food waste and improving access to food assistance for vulnerable communities across Penang.

Launched at Lotus’s Sungai Dua, the initiative builds on a partnership dating back to 2017, bringing surplus food recovery, public donations and community distribution under a coordinated platform.

Carrying the message “Lebihan Dikongsi, Harapan Disemai”, the campaign aims to encourage businesses and members of the public to contribute surplus food, shelf-stable food items and essential supplies for households in need.

Lotus’s Malaysia is the campaign’s first strategic partner, supporting the initiative through participating stores, surplus food contributions, customer donation points and promotional activities.

Azliza Baizura Azmel, Executive Director of Corporate Services at Lotus’s Malaysia, said the campaign would expand opportunities for customers and business partners to participate in food rescue efforts.

“Since 2016, we have successfully redirected 2.421 million kilograms of food from landfills to over 120,000 families,” she said, highlighting the retailer’s efforts to reduce food waste while supporting communities.

She added that the collaboration would build on existing food recovery activities while encouraging more people to contribute to the initiative.

Campaign targets wider community support

Under the programme, Mutiara Food Bank will coordinate food collection and distribution, beneficiary engagement and impact reporting. Both organisations will also explore additional food recovery opportunities and targeted food drives based on community needs.

The initial programme is proposed to involve seven Lotus’s stores in Penang, beginning with Lotus’s Sungai Dua. Existing surplus food recovery activities involving MFB include Lotus’s Bagan Ajam and Lotus’s Bukit Mertajam, alongside Lotus’s Kulim.

YB Lim Siew Khim, Penang State Executive Councillor for Social Development, Welfare and Non-Islamic Religious Affairs, said the campaign could strengthen efforts to reach low-income and vulnerable households.

She noted that Mutiara Food Bank currently serves communities across all 40 state constituencies and that cooperation with the Implementation Coordination Unit and other relevant agencies could help identify households requiring assistance.

According to Lim, Penang had no registered hardcore poor heads of households under the eKasih system, but 11,105 households remained registered under the poor category as of 30 September 2026.

She said poverty levels could change over time and that continued assistance was necessary to prevent vulnerable families from falling into more severe hardship.

Lim added that Mutiara Food Bank had rescued and redistributed more than 2,000 tonnes of surplus food, with contributions from supermarkets, wholesale markets, corporate organisations and other donors.

Food rescue efforts to expand progressively

Damien Foong, Chief Operating Officer of Mutiara Food Bank, said the campaign reflected the organisation’s mission of “No One Goes Hungry”.

“Every kilogramme of good, edible food that we are able to rescue is an opportunity to put that food where it belongs, on the table of someone who needs it,” he said.

Branded Semeja Harapan donation points will be introduced at participating Lotus’s stores to accept suitable shelf-stable food and essential items. The partners will also monitor food recovered, donations received and beneficiaries reached as the programme develops.

The launch coincided with Lotus’s HORECA Day at the Sungai Dua outlet, bringing the campaign to customers, business partners and the wider community.

The initiative is intended to develop into a broader Penang State Government platform, bringing together additional corporate and community partners to reduce food waste and improve food assistance for households in need.