KUALA LUMPUR: The Menu Rahmah initiative has successfully contributed to the reduction of the inflation rate of the food-outside-the-home prices for the first time since August 2021, said Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister Datuk Seri Salahuddin Ayub.

He said the inflation for food outside the home had dropped from 9.6 per cent to 9.3 per cent since the initiative pioneered by voluntary food operators was introduced last January.

Salahuddin added that the initiative had also been able to increase the sales of participating companies by 25 to 30 per cent on average.

"That's why they (the companies) have named this Menu Rahmah initiative as a crowd-puller. The gains in volume have become an attraction (for companies to participate) and it gives profit to the companies," he told a press conference after launching Menu Rahmah at Wangsa Maju KFC and Pizza Hut restaurants here today.

Salahuddin said that KFC and Pizza Hut owned by QSR Brands became the 3,000th company to participate in the Menu Rahmah initiative.

"This proves that this initiative has actually been able to conquer or win the hearts of industry players who let part of their profits to be returned to the people," he said.

Following the success of the Rahmah initiative in general, Salahuddin also announced that a consortium involving industry players would be set up to improve the initiative.

Meanwhile, Salahuddin said that the ministry had not received any complaint about the price increase or lack of supply of coarse and fine-granulated sugar since the government allowed two local sugar producing companies to market clear refined white sugar.

-- BERNAMA