THE NEW-NORM: CHANGES TO

THE FOOD ENVIRONMENT IN

BRUNEI DARUSSALAM

By:
Dr Siti Rohaiza Ahmad
Lecturer
PAPRSB Institute of Health Sciences
Universiti Brunei Darussalam
Rohaiza.ahmad@ubd.edu.bn
ABOUT BRUNEI DARUSSALAM
 MY BACKGROUND

 Started in 2007
 As Lecturer at the Universiti of Brunei Darussalam
 13 years of University Teaching
 Field: Biomedical Sciences and Public Health
(mainly Nutrition)
 Module Conveners for:
- Biomedical Laborator y Instrumentation and Management (Year 2
Core Module)
- Spor ts Nutrition Module (an Option Module)
 Research interest:
- Rice studies;
- Diabetes Research – herbs/medicinal plants
ABOUT UNIVERSITI BRUNEI DARUSSALAM

Courses: Medicine, Biomedical Sciences,

Dentistry, Pharmacy, Nursing and
Midwifery.
Number of students each Cohort: 20-35
Students
One Semester : 14 weeks of Teaching
PAPRSB INSTITUTE OF HEALTH SCIENCES
 CONTENTS OF TALK

COVID 19 Situation: Global and in

Brunei Darussalam
Early days of COVID 19 – in Brunei
Darussalam
 Changes to the Food Environment:
Operational Phases – First, Second,
Third and Fourth Phase
Impact on Social events
Future direction/Research
 COVID-19
In early December 2019, the entire world
encountered the spread of novel coronavirus,
which was named as COVID-19.
COVID-19 is caused by the SAR-CoV-2.
The virus infections were first reported in
Wuhan City, Hubei Province.
The World Health Organization had declared
COVID-19 infections as a Public Health
Emergency of International concern .
 COVID 19: AS OF 4 TH AUGUST 2020
GLOBAL RATES

Total number Recovered

Death:
of cases: Cases:
691,738
18,196,211 10,852,611
 COVID-19 IN BRUNEI DARUSSALAM
(AS OF 4 TH AUGUST 2020)

Total number Death Recovered

of cases Cases
141 3 138
COVID 19 – IN BRUNEI DARUSSALAM

Reported on the 9th of March 2020

FIRST CASE (53 year old man, return to Brunei from Kuala Lumpur
on the 3rd of March 2020)

Until Mid-April 2020

STEEP RISE And the curve started to flattened

No more new cases for 87 days

Number of Cases: Remained at 141

COVID 19: IN BRUNEI DARUSSALAM
PUBLIC ARE WELL-INFORMED

Daily Press Socialisation via Official Press

Conferences Social Media Releases
 WHAT ARE THE CHANGES?

Work From Home Staggered Office Timing

Education: Online Learning Food Environment

 RESTAURANTS AND CAFES
- EARLY DAYS (MARCH 2020)

In the early days –

restaurants/café was closed

No dine in allowed

Only takeaways/
meals pick-up
 RESTAURANTS AND CAFES

First phase (16th May 2020)

30% Capacity

Second phase (3rd June 2020)

60% Capacity

Third Phase (6th July 2020)

80% Capacity

Fourth Phase (27th July 2020)

100% capacity – but still no buffet allowed
 FIRST PHASE
CHANGES RELATED TO THE FOOD ENVIRONMENT
(16 TH MAY 2020)

Dine in Dry markets

Buffet – not
allowed at (tamu) still
allowed
30% Capacity close

Advance
Temperature
Booking for
Check
tables
 FIRST PHASE
CHANGES RELATED TO THE FOOD ENVIRONMENT
(16 TH MAY 2020)

External Food
Scan
Stalls (gerai)
QR CODE
50% Capacity
 SECOND PHASE
CHANGES RELATED TO THE FOOD ENVIRONMENT
(3 RD JUNE 2020)

Restaurants/ Cafe Gerai Makan (external) BruHealth Application

60% Capacity 75% Capacity Scan QR Code

 THIRD PHASE
CHANGES RELATED TO THE FOOD ENVIRONMENT
(6 TH JULY 2020)

Restaurants/ Cafe Gerai Makan/ Food Stalls BruHealth App Dry Market (Pasar Tani)

80% Capacity 100% Capacity Scan QR Code 50% Sellers

 FOURTH PHASE
CHANGES RELATED TO THE FOOD ENVIRONMENT
(27 TH JULY 2020)

Restaurants/ Cafe BruHealth App Dry Market (Pasar Tani)

100% Capacity Scan QR Code 100% Sellers

 OTHER CHANGES:
FOOD DELIVERY AND GROCERIES
 Supermarket offers – Groceries Delivery
SOCIAL EVENTS - CHANGES

Hari Raya (Eid)

Ramadhan (April)
(May)

Bazaar/Expos (public
Wedding/Solemnisation
event)
RAMADHAN
 Normally:
- Food buffet
- Ramadhan Bazaar

 Due to COVID-19
- No Buffet allowed
- Family Home Food Packages
– from restaurants and cafes
- Bazaar – using food trucks via
Drive-Thru
EID CELEBRATION (MAY 2020)

 Close family visits only

 Limited number of
visitors
 Staggered visits/ make
schedule
 Encourage to serve
healthy foods and drinks
WEDDING EVENTS

During the early COVID

period:-
Short timing only
Closed family member only

COVID19 gets better

- Allowed to take place at
home/hotels
- Follow the Guidelines
FUTURE RESEARCH/ DIRECTIONS

Social Food
changes? choices?

Outcome
Health
Outcome on
Finance?
 CONCLUSIONS

Brunei had experienced changes to the food

environment
The Four phases of the Operational Phases –
related to the Food environment
New services such as groceries deliveries
were made available
Social events were impacted as well.
The new-norm also requires the use of Bru-
Health App.