Malaysia faces rising child obesity and stunting, highlighting urgent need for better nutrition, policies and healthier food systems
IN Malaysia, our language of love is food. The simple question “Sudah makan?” is the heartbeat of our care for one another. But as a researcher in food innovation and a mother of two young children, I have begun to hear that question with a heavy heart.
Across our school canteens, childcare centres and family kitchens, a troubling pattern is emerging: our children are growing wider but many are not growing taller.
According to the National Health and Morbidity Survey 2024, Malaysia is facing a “double burden” of malnutrition that is truly a national emergency. Nearly one in four toddlers is stunted (24.3%) while over 30% of our school-age children are overweight or obese.
We are a regional outlier: while neighbours like Thailand and Vietnam have slashed their stunting rates, ours have regressed.
The burden, not the blame
We often hear that parents need to “make better choices”. But as a mother balancing a demanding career, I know that “choice” is a luxury of time and money.
When we return home after a long day, the energy to prepare a nutrient-dense meal from scratch is often gone. The reality is that a child does not choose what is in their lunchbox; they eat from the environment we provide. However, for many Malaysian families, that environment is designed for convenience, not necessarily for optimal growth.
In underserved communities, this is often a matter of survival. Studies reveal that students in low-income households consume less expensive but non-nutritious foods like instant noodles, which offer immediate satiety for a fraction of the cost of a balanced meal.
These families aren’t “choosing” poor health; they are choosing the RM2 meal that is hot, filling and fits a shrinking budget. While the starches provide immediate energy, they lack the protein, iron and calcium required for a child’s brain and bones to reach their full potential, often leading to a child who is simultaneously overweight from calories and stunted from the lack of nutrients.
Even in affluent areas like Putrajaya, the paradox persists. Putrajaya has the lowest poverty rate in the country, yet its stunting rate (24.3%) mirrors some of our lower-income states.
Experts from the Health Ministry point to a phenomenon called “working-parent fatigue”. In a city where nearly 80% of households have two working parents, mealtimes are often outsourced to daycares with unregulated feeding routines or quick takeaway meals.
We aren’t failing as parents; we are operating in a system where the “convenient” choice is rarely the “nutrition-packed” one.
Bridging the gap through innovation
The solution is to change the food itself. We must stop treating “convenience” as the enemy. The market must provide convenience that actually nourishes to support growth, learning and overall development.
Malaysia has already made progress, such as the 2025 ban on 12 junk food categories in school canteens. But to truly protect our future generation, we must go further:
• From theory to habit: Our current physical and health education curriculum is a start but we should adopt elements of Japan’s Shokuiku model. This means transforming school lunch into a hands-on “classroom” where kids don’t just read about vitamins, they learn the practical life skill of building a balanced plate.
Schools can foster healthier dietary environments by involving parents in meal selection and preparation alongside their children, enabling them to serve as role models for healthy eating which is a core recommendation of the Malaysian Dietary Guidelines 2023.
Health and food organisations can also provide parents with practical knowledge and support with interactive nutrition talks and parent-child cooking competitions to bridge the gap between classroom theory and home practice.
• Empower markets: We need to incentivise the food industry to move away from “fillers”, which are inexpensive ingredients added to increase volume, weight or texture and towards nutrient-packed, affordable convenience foods specifically designed for the realities of modern urban life. It could be in the form of ready-to-eat meals that have high-density nutrition “baked in” to bridge the gap between nutrition and convenience.
• Protective policies: While adults may not always see it, our children are relentlessly targeted by “invisible” marketing on social media platforms. Studies estimate that children see advertisements for unhealthy food up to 30 times a week, often through influencers and ASMR (autonomous sensory meridian response) content that shape their cravings before they even understand what a calorie is.
When a child sits down for a meal, the choices on that plate reflect the world we have built for them. If we want our next generation to grow stronger, we must ensure that the “easy” choice is also the “healthy” one.
As we reflect on Global Child Nutrition month in April, let us lead by example – on the plate and in the policy. Our children are growing. Let’s make sure they grow up well.
Dr Chong Li Choo is a professor at Taylor’s Culinary Institute, under the Faculty of Social Sciences and Leisure Management at Taylor’s University. She is also the director of Food Security and Nutrition Impact Lab. Comments: [email protected]
