Malaysian households should maintain at least three days’ worth of basic emergency supplies despite assurances that the country has enough food to last six months, consumer groups have warned.
They said having sufficient national food stocks does not necessarily mean essential goods will remain accessible to every household during a crisis.
Malaysia Consumers Movement (MCM) secretary-general Harminder Singh said the public should not overlook household preparedness, stressing that keeping emergency supplies was a sensible precaution rather than an invitation to panic-buy.
“Being prepared is not the same as panic buying or excessive stockpiling; it is a sensible precaution,” he told the New Straits Times.
On Monday, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said Malaysia had sufficient food supplies to last at least six months and urged the public not to stockpile essential goods.
Zahid, who is also National Disaster Management Committee chairman, was responding to reports that 33 countries had issued advisories asking their citizens to stockpile food, water and other necessities for emergencies.
Harminder said low-income households could be among the worst affected during a crisis because they might not have the financial means to purchase additional supplies or cope with sudden increases in food prices.
Rural and remote communities could also struggle to obtain essential goods if roads, bridges and delivery routes were disrupted.
He urged the authorities to issue clear and practical household preparedness guidelines, improve public communication and emergency education, prevent profiteering, strengthen distribution networks and contingency planning, and provide targeted assistance to vulnerable consumers.
Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations (Fomca) chief executive officer Saravanan Thambirajah said the organisation did not support excessive stockpiling, warning that it could cause shortages, push up prices and result in food wastage.
However, he said households should keep at least 72 hours’ worth of basic food, drinking water, medication and other necessities.
He pointed out that major floods could leave roads inaccessible, force shops to close and disrupt electricity and water supplies.
Saravanan identified B40 households, senior citizens, persons with disabilities, single-parent families and people living in flood-prone or remote areas as among the most vulnerable.
“Asking a family struggling to put food on the table every day to maintain three days of emergency supplies may sound simple, but it can be a financial burden,” he said.
He advised households to prepare according to their financial means, emphasising that emergency readiness did not require panic buying or expensive survival kits.
Basic preparations could include sufficient drinking water, rice or ready-to-eat food, essential medication, a torchlight, batteries, a power bank and important documents kept in a safe place.
Saravanan also called for stronger food distribution and emergency logistics, particularly in flood-prone and rural areas, alongside targeted assistance for households that might struggle to prepare.
“Preparedness is not about creating fear. It is about reducing panic, protecting vulnerable communities and ensuring that consumers can manage the first few days of an emergency safely,” he said.
