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4 Changing food consumption in Malaysia
As in other rapidly emerging markets in Asia, food consumption in Malaysia has shifted away from starchy staples and toward wheat-based and livestock products. As well as rapid growth in income per person (at around 5 per cent a year), aggregate food consumption in Malaysia has been supported by relatively high population growth (around 2.5 per cent a year) and changing consumer preferences toward more Western styles.

Malaysians belong to three distinct ethnic groupings. Close to 50 per cent of the total population is Malay, about a quarter is Chinese and the rest are predominantly Indian.
Each grouping has particular food preferences. Malays are largely Muslims and shun pork-based food items and require food to be prepared using halal methods. In contrast, the Chinese are major pork consumers and have a more diverse diet. Indian cuisines are rich in meat, spices and bread.
Consumption of wheat and meat is increasing
There has been a significant increase in per person consumption of wheat, from 33 kilograms in 1990 to 58 kilograms in 2005 (table 2). In contrast, rice consumption per person declined by around 15 per cent over the same period. Despite this development, rice remains the major staple and provides close to one-third of daily calorie intake on average. Per person consumption of starchy roots also declined markedly between 1990 and 2005, with a significant decline in consumption of cassava.

Meat consumption on a per person basis increased significantly between 1990 and 2005. Chicken meat is the main meat type consumed in Malaysia, accounting for more than 60 per cent of total meat consumption. Consumption of other meats, except pig meat, also increased over the same period. Fish consumption on a per person basis rose from 48 kilograms in 1990 to 57 kilograms in 2005. Other significant increases over the same period were sugar, fruit, vegetables and milk (table 2).
Meat consumption relative to other countries
In terms of consumption patterns for various food products (expressed in calories per person per day), Malaysia appears similar to other fast-growing, emerging markets in Asia such as Thailand, China and the Republic of Korea (table 3).

Malaysia’s consumption of livestock products is considerably below that of many Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries, including the United States and Australia. In 2005, Malaysian meat consumption per person was 51 per cent and 53 per cent respectively below the levels in the United States and Australia. For milk, the consumption level in Malaysia is significantly lower than in the OECD countries.

However, compared with other rapidly growing Asian countries, Malaysia’s per person consumption of livestock products is relatively high. For example, per person consumption of meat in Malaysia was around 48 kilograms in 2005. This compares with around 35 kilograms in both Japan and the Republic of Korea and 24 kilograms in Thailand.
Consumer purchases from supermarkets
An important feature of growth in food consumption in Malaysia is increased sales from supermarkets and hypermarkets. These markets, with modern food storage facilities, have become an important outlet for chilled and frozen foods.

In 2005, supermarkets (where most processed food is sold) accounted for 34 per cent of total food retails sales (at around US$3.4 billion). Most supermarkets operate in the urban areas and many are large foreign-owned chain outlets such as Carrefour, Makro, Dairy Farm Holdings International and Jaya Jusco. In 2005, Jaya Jusco reported growth in food sales of around 10 per cent in Malaysia (Chang 2006).
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2 Malaysia’s food consumption per person
1990
2005
daily calorie intake
calories
calories
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Vegetable products
2 303
2 552
Animal products
337
383
Total
2 639
2 935
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Consumption per
    person
kg
kg
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Cereal
160.3
171.6
Wheat
32.6
57.6
Rice
118.2
99.9
Maize
6.1
9.3
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Starchy roots
26.1
22.8
Cassava
20.9
13.6
Potato
3.2
6.4
Sweet potato
0.3
0.5
Sugar crops
206.9
383.2
Pulses
2.7
2.6
Oil crops
133.9
90.4
Vegetables
26.1
49.2
Fruits
55.2
57.9
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Meat
35.3
47.6
Chicken meat
20.1
31.8
Duck  and goose meat
2.1
4
Bovine meat
2.8
4.7
Pig meat
9.7
6.2
Sheep and goat meat
0.6
0.9
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Milk, whole, fresh
32.9
43.5
Eggs
14.1
12
Fish
48
57.3
Source: FAO (2007).
3 Consumption of food in Malaysia and other selected countries in 2005
Korea,
Rep.of
United
States
Malaysia
Thailand
India
China
Japan
Australia
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Daily calorie intake
calories
calories
calories
calories
calories
calories
calories
calories
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Vegetable products
2 552
2 740
2 339
2391
2 532
2 232
2 116
2 627
Animal products
383
244
182
571
409
431
953
1 031
Total
2 935
2 985
2 521
2 962
2 941
2 664
3 069
3 658
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Per person consumption
kg
kg
kg
kg
kg
kg
kg
kg
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Cereals
171.6
164.7
206.6
188.1
215.7
173
98.8
177
Starchy roots
22.8
145.2
23.3
75.3
19.1
38.3
54
57.3
Oil crops
90.4
67.3
50.4
71.4
86.7
68.4
101.4
80
Fruits
57.9
72.4
35.9
57.6
64.6
58.3
98.7
122.6
Vegetables
49.2
31.5
68
290
251.4
130.4
100
125.4
Sugar crops
383.2
396.1
201.4
76.9
123.5
119.1
254.9
173.2
Meat
47.6
23.9
4.8
60.1
34.6
34.7
89.4
93.6
Milk
43.5
24.6
68.6
17.8
39.6
75.3
221.4
256.2
Eggs
12
8.7
1.9
18.2
11
18.6
7.4
14.8
Fish
57.3
31
4.6
25.4
51
64.7
22.7
23.4
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