KUALA LUMPUR: The much-awaited special discount card for relevant Menu Rahmah operators, who will enjoy discounts of up to 40% for food items, is now open for applications, says Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali.
Operators who offer Menu Rahmah meals at their premises can start applying for the special discount card from yesterday, said the acting Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister.
Applications are also open to other eatery operators who are willing to offer Menu Rahmah, which provides meals of RM5 or less to Malaysians affected by the rising cost of living.
Operators can enjoy discounts at six selected supermarkets namely Mydin, AEON Big, Econsave, Lotus’s, NSK and Giant, said Armizan.
“Among the items offered at a discounted rate to Menu Rahmah operators that have been approved are raw items such as chicken, onions and other basic food items to help them reduce the cost of preparing the Menu Rahmah.“These supermarkets will offer a discount rate of up to 40% on 5,000 stock keeping units (SKUs), subject to terms and conditions set by the supermarket,” he told a press conference at Wisma Rampai here yesterday.
Armizan said enforcement officers would be deployed regularly to monitor premises that offer Menu Rahmah, to ensure they are adhering to the price limit.
Currently, there are 2,849 registered eateries that are offering Menu Rahmah at their premises since the programme was launched on Jan 31, he added.
Given that the discount card programme is still at an early stage, the ministry will make regular checks to determine whether the initiative is effective.
“Currently, we are conducting studies on the overall effectiveness of each programme under the ministry, including initiatives under Payung Rahmah.
“We can see some premises have stopped offering Menu Rahmah due to a lack of customers who are interested in buying the meals,” said Armizan.
Restaurant operators may apply for the Menu Rahmah special discount card at menurahmah.kpdn.gov.my.
Restaurant associations recently said some premises have dropped out of the Menu Rahmah programme due to a lack of interest among locals in those areas.
However, they called on the government to offer discount cards to help premises maintain Menu Rahmah meals, especially in targeted areas.
