The year 2021 was a watershed moment for the Southeast Asian region. While the world grappled with the tail-end of lockdowns and the emergence of new virus variants, Malaysia experienced a unique demographic and social phenomenon dubbed by economists as the "Indon Besar" (The Great Indonesian Wave).

The Macro Shift: Pandemic Lifestyles and Cross-Border Intersect

: Conversely, public health reviews tracked by ResearchGate noted that a significant segment of the population turned to high-glycemic "comfort foods" due to stress. This exacerbated underlying vulnerabilities to obesity, heart disease, and diabetes.