Malaysia’s food industry is rich in terms of tropical and agricultural resources reflecting diverse
cultures in Malaysian society — Malay, Chinese and Indian, have resulted in a fascinating range
of processed food with an Asian twist. Increasing consumer awareness in nutrition value and
food fortification for healthcare has created the demand for functional/healthy minimally
processed fresh food, organic food and natural food flavors from plants and seafood.
The Malaysian food and beverage market is becoming increasingly sophisticated and is supplied
by both local and imported products. The strong economic growth in the late 80's and early 90's
contributed to major changes in consumer purchases and consumption patterns. Malaysians
living in urban areas are relatively brand conscious, and they prefer to shop in stores, which
offer them convenience and good product selections15
. Lifestyle changes have led to an
increase in the demand for convenience food and health food.
The food processing industry is predominantly Malaysian-owned16
. In Malaysia, the food industry
is dominated by small and medium scale companies. The major sub-sectors are the fish and fish
products, livestock and livestock products, fruits, vegetables and cocoa.
In line with the government’s emphasis on the agriculture sector, the processed food and
beverages industry had become an important component of the agro-based industry. In 2010,