MALAYSIA cannot afford to treat child malnutrition as a problem affecting only disadvantaged communities, former Klang MP Charles Santiago said, pointing to worrying figures among children under five in Kuala Lumpur.
Santiago said Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad had reported that 23.4% of children under five in the capital are stunted, while 12.4% are underweight, 8.1% wasted and 7.5% overweight.
He said the figures should serve as a wake-up call, particularly as they come from Kuala Lumpur, one of the country’s wealthiest and most developed areas.
“Child malnutrition in Malaysia is not a marginal problem. It is a serious nutrition crisis, even in our richest and most developed city,” he said in a statement.
Santiago explained that stunting was especially concerning as it is often the result of prolonged undernutrition or repeated illness, with potential consequences for a child’s development, learning, health and future earning potential.
He also stressed that malnutrition was not limited to visibly underweight children.
Wasting can indicate acute undernutrition or recent illness, while children who are overweight may still lack essential nutrients, he added.
Speaking further, Santiago said Malaysia’s stunting figures had also worsened over the years, rising from 11.3% in 2011 to 20.7% in 2016.
He cited UNICEF’s latest estimate of a 22% national stunting rate and said Kuala Lumpur’s figure of 23.4% meant almost one in four children under five in the capital was affected.
For Santiago, the issue is closely tied to the cost of living.
“When households are forced to stretch every ringgit, nutritious food is often the first thing compromised,” he said.
Protein, fruits, vegetables, milk and other nutrient-rich foods can become difficult for struggling families to afford, he said, adding that being able to put food on the table did not necessarily mean a child was getting adequate nutrition.
Santiago is calling for a universal National Meals Plan to provide children with nutritionally balanced meals, arguing that child nutrition should be addressed as part of the government’s cost-of-living measures.
He cited World Food Programme estimates that every US$1 invested in school meals could generate between US$7 and US$35 in economic benefits through improved health and learning, greater future productivity and stronger local food economies.
With Budget 2027 approaching, Santiago urged the government to put child nutrition and the proposed meals plan on the agenda.
“Put child nutrition and the National Meals Plan in Budget 2027. No Malaysian child should be denied healthy growth because a nutritionally balanced meal is unaffordable,” he said. – September 3, 2026
