6th March 2026 - 3 min read
Using Sumbangan Asas Rahmah (Sara) at the supermarket can cover many household staples, but fresh items such as chicken, meat, and vegetables still need to be paid for separately.
The government says these items may eventually be added to the programme, but more checks are needed first.
At the moment, Sara mainly covers packaged essentials and selected grocery items through participating retailers.
This means that during a typical grocery trip, recipients can use the assistance to buy many basic items, but fresh food such as vegetables, chicken, or fresh meat still has to be purchased with cash or other payment methods.
The Ministry of Finance said it is studying how fresh food could be included in the future while ensuring that quality, storage conditions, and food safety can be properly monitored.
Because fresh items spoil faster and vary in quality, they require stricter controls compared with packaged goods.
While fresh food is still being studied, the list of items allowed under Sara has recently expanded.
Starting 9 February 2026, frozen food was added as a new category under the programme. This increases the total number of goods categories to 15, up from 14 previously.
The number of individual products that can be purchased has also increased significantly, from around 100,000 items previously to about 140,000 items today.
For recipients, this mainly means a wider range of frozen and packaged grocery items can now be purchased using Sara.
Even with the expanded list, fresh groceries remain outside the programme for now.
As a result, a full grocery basket still cannot be paid entirely with Sara assistance. Recipients can use the programme for many packaged essentials, but fresh ingredients often need to be paid separately.
The government’s ongoing study will determine whether these everyday foods can eventually be included without creating food safety or quality issues.
The government is also examining whether Sara could be extended to students in higher education institutions.
Discussions will first take place with the Ministry of Higher Education to explore whether the programme could support students from asnaf, B40, and M40 households.
If introduced, this change would expand the group of people receiving Sara rather than change the types of items currently allowed.
Sara has gradually expanded since its introduction, with recent updates increasing both the number of eligible goods and the range of grocery categories available.
Fresh food is not yet included, but the current review suggests the government is still assessing whether everyday items such as vegetables, chicken, and meat can eventually be added to the programme.
For now, recipients can expect more options within packaged and frozen goods, while fresh groceries still need to be purchased outside the Sara system.
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Samuel writes about personal finance and financial news, focusing on how banking updates, policies, and promotions affect everyday money decisions. He enjoys making complicated financial topics easier to follow. Outside of writing, he spends his time watching TV shows and occasionally convincing himself he will only watch one episode.
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