‘Near To’ is possibly Malaysia’s first convenience store centred around food products that are close to their expiry date. (Noel Wong @ FMT Lifestyle)
PETALING JAYA: These days, shopping is quite the breeze, with grocery shops and supermarkets never too far from home.
But as you pick up that box of cereal, have you ever wondered what happens to the products left on the shelf? There is a high chance that stock not sold gets thrown out, regardless of edibility.
This is a common practice in grocery stores and supermarkets, with around 5% of stock going to waste regularly.
According to data from local landfill operator SWCorp, up to 4,005 tonnes of food in Malaysian landfills are perfectly edible. This is quite a disturbing reality, considering how many people go hungry every single day.
Thankfully, some Malaysians are attempting to reverse this trend by adopting a practice that is gaining traction internationally.
The products sold here are priced lower than the market price depending on their expiry date. (Noel Wong @ FMT Lifestyle)
In the busy district of Damansara Utama, a recently opened convenience store is selling food products extraordinarily cheap, some at half their market price.
What’s more, the food products here do not only consist of local brands, but popular foreign brands as well that are normally sold at premium prices elsewhere.
It’s quite the steal, no doubt, but surely, there must be a catch? Well, just check the expiry date. Many are often a few months away from expiry, hence the appropriate name of the store, “Near To”.
Quite the novel idea, especially if you’re on the hunt for bargain buys. Again, everything sold is perfectly edible; after all, a box of biscuits expiring this December is just as appetising as one expiring next June.
But how did “Near To” come to be in the first place?
There are good bargains to be had here, with this premium collectible coffee sold at less than half its market price. (Noel Wong @ FMT Lifestyle)
Speaking to FMT, “Near To” co-founder Nick Tan, 28, explained that the concept behind the store is not new. “If you go to local stores, they normally have an area for discounted products. These are often imported goods that are one month away from expiring.”
However, he said, this is likely the first convenience store in the country built around the concept of selling NTE (near to expiry) products.
NTE stores are found overseas, with China in particular taking a liking to the concept. “They even have a separate industry dedicated to NTE products,” said Tan, adding that it was his friend in China who encouraged him to implement here.
In Malaysia, imported food products run the highest risk of not being sold in time and turning into food waste.
There are also many other premium and imported brands sold here at absurdly low prices. (Noel Wong @ FMT Lifestyle)
“It takes months for an imported food product to arrive here, and by the time it reaches Malaysian shelves, half of its shelf life is already gone. So, they need to sell it as quickly as possible.”
To confound this issue, most distributors are unable to clear their stocks before the next shipment arrives and inventory space is finite. Also, most unsold goods are thrown away as it is illegal to sell anything passed its expiry date.
“Near To”, said Tan, is thus an option for distributors to clear products that would otherwise have been thrown away at a loss.
“Our low prices are based on the discounts we get from suppliers,” he said. “For them, products a month away from expiry are essentially rubbish.”
Hence, many local suppliers are happy to give away old stocks to “Near To”, rather than registering a loss in wasted goods.
Nick Tan believes that ‘Near To’ is a means of preventing food waste while meeting the needs of both suppliers and consumers. (Noel Wong @ FMT Lifestyle)
It is a win-win situation for both parties, and for the environment as well since perfectly edible food is given a second chance at reaching someone’s table.
While there is some stigma against NTE food products, Tan has personally observed that many younger Malaysians are happy to shop at his store.
“There are also people who don’t like this idea and prefer to pay a premium price,” he added. “Perhaps they want a product that’s ‘fresh’ on the shelf.”
The irony, Tan said, was that the products customers find both at his store and their usual grocery store are likely of the same quality, regardless of expiry date.
With so many businesses going green nowadays, “Near To” is helping to do its part in tackling the huge problem of food wastage.
“We can only do what we can, which, in my case, is selling these products at a cheaper price and providing an alternative to retailers. It’s solving a food waste problem before it becomes one.”
So, it’s up to you now to keep an eye open for the best deals and snack away on perfectly edible goodies.
Near To
73G, Jalan SS21/60
Damansara Utama
47400 Petaling Jaya
Selangor
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