Managing Sustainable Food Consumption: A Case Study of a Food Bank in Malaysia

Chapter Overview The rich Asian food heritage, with its wide variety and flavors, is regarded as the pride of the region. Unfortunately, the abundance of food and its availability is also cultivating a waste culture. Changing lifestyle, marketing activities, and cheap and readily available food continues to escalate unsustainable food consumption. Specifically, in Malaysia, food consumption practices are strongly influenced by the cultural, religious, economic, and ethnic diversity. These factors pose unique challenges to change unsustainable food consumption practices among consumers. As a platform against food waste and to curb environmental degradation, societies are applying sharing economy principles to food consumption. Consequently, food banks have emerged as effective food waste management strategies. In Malaysia, via the initiatives of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry, Food Bank Malaysia Program was introduced and involves an extensive network of hypermarkets, restaurants, social enterprises, and individuals that enables excess food to be distributed to the needy. Food banks are social organizations, function as intermediaries within the food waste management network, supporting social innovations to address food consumption. In this case study, we focused on a specific food bank in Malaysia which faced different strategic issues, particularly in the operation and management in the food sharing initiatives. To understand the roles, challenges and issues involved in the operations of food banks, we used multiple data sources including observation field notes and interviews. It is also complemented with secondary sourced materials such as food bank and government websites, newspapers articles, podcast, blogs, and media press. This case study aims to provide strategic challenges and opportunities for social organizations in creating, communicating, and providing values to consumers, while achieving sustainable consumption goals.