PETALING JAYA: Malaysians are feeling the pinch of the rising cost of living as they now have to fork out extra to buy essential goods.

       In addition to the hefty price tags, some are concerned about the shortage of supply.

       Nurina Muhammad, 36, said she never imagined that a food crisis would be unfolding so soon.

       “The food shortage really scares me.

       “I thought it will happen in 2050, but it is happening now,” she said.

       Nurina said the price of cooking oil was now close to RM40.

       “There are many things that are going up such as powdered milk, condensed milk and others. Just a few things can cost more than RM300,” she said.

       “Suddenly you see there is an increase by RM2 to RM3.”

       The cat owner lamented that the prices of cat food and litter had also gone up.

       “There is an RM15 difference in price in just two months,” the freelancer from Kuala Lumpur said.

       Meanwhile, K. Anandhi said she used to spend around RM50 for her daily groceries to feed a family of four.

       “But now it is not enough. I have to fork out RM20 more. And I am not even buying items like seafood or mutton on a daily basis,” the 63-year-old added.

       Meanwhile, Ahmad Shahril from Petaling Jaya said he has been cooking meals of late as he could no longer afford to buy food from outside.

       “I used to rely a lot on GrabFood for my meals but recently I noticed that the price has increased exorbitantly.

       “There were days delivery alone was more than RM10 and it did not include the food,” the 32-year-old said.

       He said he has recently started buying his own groceries and cooked food in batches which could be stored for days.

       “I cook a big batch and re-heat it and eat for a few days.

       “It is cheaper that way than to buy food everyday,” he said adding that he usually opts for chicken and vegetables as well as frozen food for his meals.