Why the Haze in Malaysia Is So Hard on Food Trucks and Outdoor Events

The haze in Malaysia this October is hurting outdoor businesses less through any single bad day than through how fast the air keeps changing: Petaling Jaya read an API of 161 on the morning of 10 October, 83 the next morning and 168 by noon on 15 October. For anyone who sells food or services in the open air, that swing is the real cost. People can't commit a week ahead when nobody can see a week ahead, so bookings get delayed, shrunk or moved indoors, and the vendor who needs open ground feels it first.

Economists have started putting numbers on it. Sunway University economics professor Dr Yeah Kim Leng told The Star on 14 October that losses are running at an estimated RM20 million to RM50 million a day, a figure he called conservative, and that the monthly toll could reach RM600 million to RM1.5 billion. For comparison, a Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia study put the cost of the 2013 haze at RM1.57 billion.

What the haze is costing businesses this season

The big estimates cover the whole economy, so they hide where the damage lands. The detail comes from the people closest to it. On 9 October the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers warned that haze could disrupt factory work, cut worker attendance and slow outdoor operations and logistics, while adding costs for air filtration and protective equipment.

Writing in Utusan Malaysia on 15 October, a senior lecturer at Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia listed the people whose income drops when outdoor work is cut back: food delivery riders, hawkers, night market traders, farmers and construction workers. Restaurants, food stalls, recreational areas and tourist sites lose customers. The same piece cited Health Ministry figures showing asthma cases rose 259% during the August haze, which is money out of household budgets that would otherwise be spent elsewhere.

Then there are the events that didn't happen:

• PJ Half Marathon, 6 September: cancelled at the last minute. The event terms said entry fees were generally non-refundable for unavoidable cancellations.
• Para Sukma, Selangor, 7 September: athletics, swimming, archery and lawn bowls postponed after the API reached 169 at noon.
• National Hari Sukan Negara celebration, Bukit Jalil: set for 10 October, postponed by the Ministry of Youth and Sports a day earlier, with a new date to follow once the air recovers.
• Schools: Ministry of Education institutions in areas above API 180 closed from 9 October, and those above 150 for three days running closed from 12 October, with lessons moved to home-based learning.

Each of those is also a lost or delayed booking for whoever was supplying the food, the drinks stall at the finish line or the ice cream cart at sports day.

Why outdoor food vendors feel it first

A restaurant with air conditioning keeps trading on a hazy day, even if fewer people walk in. A food truck has far fewer options. GatherPlate's food truck page, read on 16 October 2026, notes that a truck needs a spot it can reach and leave, level ground and clearance on the way in, and that height limits and ventilation usually rule out basements. When an event moves indoors because of haze, the truck often can't follow it.

The sums are not small for a small operator. As of 16 October 2026, the three lok lok truck packages on GatherPlate, a Malaysian catering marketplace, start at RM950 for 30-40 guests, RM1,350 for 50-60 guests and RM1,850 for 80-90 guests, each priced per event. When one of those bookings is postponed with no new date, the whole amount moves into a week nobody can name yet. Ice cream carts, coffee bars and live cooking stations sit in the same position on a smaller scale.

Four readings that show how fast the air turns

These are official Air Pollutant Index readings from the Department of Environment's APIMS system for two Klang Valley stations, as reported by RTM, Utusan Malaysia and TVS:

• 29 September, 10am: Petaling Jaya 149, Klang 156, after about six days of cleaner air
• 10 October, 10am: Petaling Jaya 161, Klang 157
• 11 October, 10am: Petaling Jaya 83, Klang 79 (by 3pm, 75 and 73)
• 15 October, noon: Petaling Jaya 168, Klang 193

Both stations fell 78 points in 24 hours and then climbed back. Klang rose 114 points in four days, and at noon on 15 October it was the highest reading in the country, eight points short of very unhealthy. On the same morning that Petaling Jaya showed 83, Cheras in Kuala Lumpur still read 156. Two parts of the Klang Valley can sit in different bands at the same hour.

For reference, the official scale runs 0-50 good, 51-100 moderate, 101-200 unhealthy, 201-300 very unhealthy and above 300 hazardous.

The 7-day problem: booking before you can see the air

GatherPlate's cancellation and refund rules give a full refund if you cancel by 23:59 Malaysia time on the date 7 days before your event, and none after that, although some vendors set a longer window that shows at checkout. That is fair to a vendor who buys ingredients and turns away other dates. In haze season it also means the customer commits while the air a week out is anyone's guess.

Run the dates above through that rule. An organiser with an outdoor event on Sunday 18 October passed the refund deadline at 23:59 on 11 October, the day Petaling Jaya read 75 to 83 and the haze looked like it was lifting. Four days later the same station read 168. Nothing on 11 October said that was coming.

The refund page does not mention rescheduling or weather. So before you pay, ask the vendor whether the date can move if the API crosses a level you both agree on, and keep the answer in your order messages.

A kindergarten food truck day, worked through

This is an illustrative example, not a real booking. A kindergarten in Petaling Jaya wants a lok lok truck in its car park for a parents' day with about 80 children and adults. The large package covers 80-90 guests from RM1,850, which works out to about RM23.13 a head. The guests include the group the Health Ministry most wants kept indoors in haze, and a school that would close its doors at a high reading is not going to run a car park party at one.

With a 7-day cutoff and no forecast that reaches that far, the head teacher has three choices: book and hope, wait and risk losing the truck's date, or book something that works either way. I'd take the third. That could mean keeping the truck only if the school has a covered drop-off area the vendor agrees to serve from, which the lok lok listing itself recommends settling with the venue. Or it could mean meal boxes handed out in the hall: the per-pax packages compared on the meal boxes page on 16 October 2026 run from RM12.90 to RM18 per pax, with minimums of 10 to 25. For 80 guests that is RM1,032 to RM1,440 before delivery, which is our own arithmetic. The boxes lose the fun of a truck. They don't lose the day.

If the party is mostly for the children, the kids party vendors list 16 vendors, most priced from RM5.80 to RM30 per pax, including dessert and ice cream vendors.

Where to check the haze, and how far ahead it can be predicted

• APIMS (apims.doe.gov.my): the Department of Environment's official API by station and by hour. This is the number schools and ministries act on.
• MyJAS EQMS app: the Department of Environment's own app, with the latest readings and trend charts for the stations nearest you and a map of current API values.
• ASEAN Specialised Meteorological Centre (asmc.asean.org): the regional haze situation and fire hotspots. Where the fires are and which way the wind blows say more about the next few days than this morning's reading does.
• MetMalaysia (met.gov.my) and its myCuaca app: rain and thunderstorm warnings. Rain gives temporary relief. On 11 September, after overnight rain across most of the Klang Valley, Utusan reported only one Klang Valley station still unhealthy.

Apps such as IQAir use the US AQI scale, so their numbers won't match APIMS. On 9 October IQAir showed Kuala Lumpur at 210, which it rates very unhealthy. That is a useful second opinion, but plan on the API, because that is the scale every official threshold in this post refers to.

None of these tools gives a reliable reading a week ahead. The swings above happened inside a day. My working rule is to treat anything more than two or three days out as a guess and to make the final call on the morning of the event.

If I were planning an outdoor event this month

1. Book food that can move. Meal boxes, a tea break set or a buffet that fits under one roof will survive a haze day. A truck that needs open tarmac may not.
2. Agree the trigger before the refund deadline. For example: if the nearest APIMS station reads above 100 at 7am, we serve indoors. That is the level the Health Ministry used for postponing outdoor activities.
3. Use the station nearest the venue, not a city average or a phone widget.
4. Count who is coming. Children, older relatives and anyone with asthma change the answer.
5. Push open-air plans into November where the date is flexible.

One piece of advice that cuts against vendors: if the event has to be outdoors and has no indoor fallback, I'd wait. Losing a preferred date costs less than paying in full for an afternoon nobody should be standing outside for.

For vendors, the same logic works in reverse. A clear haze plan, saying where you can serve under cover, at what reading you would suggest moving and your terms for a new date, gives a nervous customer a reason to book now instead of waiting. For the heat and rain side of outdoor service, our guide to outdoor catering in Malaysian weather covers food safety and timing.

When the haze season is expected to ease

MetMalaysia said on 13 October that it expects the Northeast Monsoon to begin at the end of October and run until mid-March 2027. The wetter weather that comes with it is the usual relief from the haze. The department also expects El Niño to strengthen towards the end of the year and flagged possible local haze from around January 2027, alongside heat and drought risks. In July, its deputy director-general said haze could become more pronounced after the monsoon ends in 2027, while adding that it was too early to confirm a serious episode.

The practical reading: November dates look safer for open-air events than the rest of October, and anything planned for early 2027 deserves an indoor backup from the start.

Frequently asked questions

Is it safe to hold an outdoor event when the API is above 100?

The Health Ministry's advice in 2019 was to postpone outdoor activities once the API passes 100. Sports bodies are less strict about training: the Malaysian Association of Sports Medicine, citing National Sports Institute guidelines, advised shorter and lighter training between 101 and 200 and training indoors above 200. For a party with children or older guests, I'd use 100.

How do I check the haze in KL today?

Open APIMS or the MyJAS EQMS app and pick the station closest to your venue. Batu Muda and Cheras cover Kuala Lumpur, while Petaling Jaya, Shah Alam and Klang cover much of Selangor. The readings are updated through the day, so check again in the morning before you decide.

Why does IQAir show a different number from APIMS?

They use different scales. IQAir reports the US AQI, while APIMS reports Malaysia's Air Pollutant Index, so the same air can produce two different figures. Government closures and health advice in Malaysia refer to the API.

Can I get a refund if the haze forces me to cancel my catering?

On GatherPlate, cancelling by 23:59 Malaysia time on the date 7 days before your event gets a full refund, and after that there is none. The help page does not list weather as an exception, so ask your vendor about moving the date before you pay.