Students will no longer find items like nuggets, instant noodles, or carbonated drinks at their school canteens. The Ministry of Education (MOE) has officially barred the sale of 12 categories of food and beverages in schools, aiming to build healthier eating habits among children.
The new ruling, announced in a Facebook post on 23 September, was created with input from the Nutrition Division of the Ministry of Health (MOH). According to MOE, the ban is designed to encourage better growth and development by cutting down on unhealthy choices that children often gravitate toward.
Photo via Free Malaysia Today
What’s Banned?
Here’s the complete list of food and drinks that can no longer be sold to students in schools:
-
Processed snacks like fries, burgers, sausages, nuggets, fishballs, and meatballs (when sold on their own)
-
Junk food including potato chips and prawn crackers
-
Sweets and chocolates
-
Pickled foods
-
Creamy or sugar-coated items
-
Instant noodles of any kind, including instant soups and flavour seasonings
-
Confectionery and ice cream
-
Drinks with added toppings, flavoured syrups, sweet premixes, creamers, 3-in-1 powders, or whipping cream
-
Carbonated, energy, isotonic, and herbal drinks
-
Tea and coffee (only for teachers, not students)
-
Anything containing alcohol
-
Expired products or food that resembles toys
MOE stressed that the move is not just about restriction but about reshaping habits. By removing easy access to sugary, processed, and artificially flavoured products, the ministry hopes to set students on a healthier path early in life.
This step also supports the wider national agenda of tackling childhood obesity and lifestyle-related health problems, which have been on the rise in Malaysia.
