Policy brief - Malaysia’s long-term food security - The path beyond self-sufficiency ratios and

While food security commonly focuses on the availability and access to quality food for people and communities, food resilience examines the ability of the entire system to withstand and recover from disruptions over the longer term. [...] We need to cast food security considerations against food pyramid consideration of sources of carbohydrates, proteins, fibre, and macro and micronutrients requirements in diets as well as the substitutability and complementarity of sources of each group rather than the hitherto practice of considering SSR and IDR of individual food item. [...] Increase food system resilience for long-term food security A resilient food system provides a steadier and continuous food supply even in the face of localised disturbances by having various alternative substitutable food sources and food categories (source of carbohydrates, proteins, micro-nutrients, and fibre, from a nutrition and diet perspective) and hence crucial for long-term food security. [...] Enhancing long-term food security through strategising and rationalising Malaysia’s participation in multilateral and bilateral frameworks and mechanisms Malaysia’s long-standing involvement in an array of multilateral frameworks and mechanisms and bilateral relations coupled with the new narrative of Malaysia being a net exporter of food on account of correcting the definition of palm oil as food. [...] This correction will bring about a paradigm shift accompanying Malaysia’s transformation from a self-acknowledged net importer of food to a large net exporter of food with strategic advantages to the oil palm industry and Malaysia as a whole by unlocking the potential for strategic and innovative trade and investments as well as international and bilateral “trade and food security bubble” collabor.