Malaysia supermarket allegedly sells subsidised cooking oil to foreigners
Recently, netizens slammed the alleged sale of subsidised cooking oil to foreigners by a local supermarket in Selangor, Malaysia.
On Saturday (14 Feb), a woman took to Threads claiming they witnessed staff from HM Supermarket in Bangi allow the sale of the low-cost cooking oil, which is meant only for Malaysian citizens, to non-locals.
Source: @_.itssyaaaaa on Threads
In 2007, the Malaysian government began providing 60,000 metric tonnes of subsidised cooking oil monthly for locals, especially those in the bottom 40% of households by income.
Each household is only allowed to buy 1kg of the oil packets sold at RM2.50 (S$0.81) each to prevent reselling or smuggling.
However, the wholesale of subsidised oil and its sale to foreigners have also been longstanding issues.
Locals allegedly unable to buy oil at supermarket
The original poster (OP) alleged that the staff at HM Bangi told the foreigners to return the oil packets after she began reprimanding and recording them.
Source: @_.itssyaaaaa on Threads
She attached videos showing a group of men and women in blue uniforms taking bags of oil from their boxes.
She also claimed that a local elderly man who wanted to purchase the oil was unable to do so as the stock had allegedly been wiped out.
Several other customers reportedly waited outside, hoping the oil would be restocked after she raised the issue.
“It’s not about race. This is about the misuse of subsidies and the rights of citizens who really deserve it,” the OP clarified.
Foreigners still bought subsidised oil
However, the OP alleged that the foreigners later took the oil packets again and placed them in someone else’s cart.
The other person then paid for the goods at the counter.
Source: @_.itssyaaaaa on Threads
The OP urged others not to misuse the oil subsidy meant for a certain demographic of people.
“If the system is loose, things like this will become common,” she worried.
Netizens slam unauthorised sale of subsidised cooking oil
The viral post sparked heated debate online.
Some users expressed frustration, saying Malaysians face strict procedures, including app verification, to purchase subsidised oil, while foreigners allegedly manage to buy it freely.
Translation: The comfort of being a foreigner. When Malaysian people want to buy, have to show app and install app. It’s complicated. But foreigners, they can wholesale a lot of oil packets.
Source: Threads
Others argued that responsibility lies primarily with the retailer for failing to enforce regulations.
Translation: Sometimes the seller is wrong for not following the rules. Not to back up foreigners, but the seller is the real reason why these foreigners dare to buy subsidised items.
Source: Threads
Several netizens urged the OP to file a report with Malaysia’s Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living (KPDN).
MS News has reached out to HM Supermarket for a statement.
Foreigners to be soon banned from purchasing subsidised oil
Earlier, in January, the KPDN announced that foreigners will be prohibited from purchasing subsidised cooking oil packets starting 1 Mar 2026.
“Previously, there were calls to restrict purchases by foreigners, but retailers raised practical concerns regarding implementation, including monitoring and enforcement,” said Minister Armizan Mohd Ali.
To prevent this, the government will slowly roll out a new app, which citizens will be required to use and is linked to their identification cards, to purchase subsidised cooking oil.
This has raised concerns that the elderly, low-income groups, and rural residents without internet access may struggle to make their purchases.
However, Mr Armizan said manual purchases are still allowed, and transaction records can be kept manually during the pilot stage.
Support for elderly and low-income buyers would also be provided by retailers, while those without smartphones or internet access will receive special modules.
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Featured image adapted from @_.itssyaaaaa on Threads.
