Cancer Survivor Single Mum Produces Gluten-Free Biscuits

By Anis Nabilla Md Wazillah

KUANTAN, March 14 (Bernama) -- Battling stage two cervical cancer in 2018 was a turning point for single mother Maizatul Akmar Rizah Mazlan, 54, in terms of making lifestyle and dietary changes.

The entrepreneur embarked on producing gluten-free biscuits as an alternative food.

"During my treatment, I needed to be more careful with my food intake. It was difficult to find suitable snacks, so I started experimenting with baking cookies using gluten-free flour as an alternative," she told Bernama recently.

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Maizatul, affectionately called Izzah, shares that it is not easy to produce gluten-free cookies, and said that after several attempts, she finally found a winning formula that gluten free, crispy and delicious.

"Having cancer was the lowest point in my life, but when I came up with this idea, it was well-received.

"This product is increasingly gaining popularity among healthy diet practitioners, those with special dietary needs, including those diagnosed with certain diseases," she said.

Cancer-free since 2021, Izzah, who was born in Kampung Kemahang, Benta in Lipis, said that her gluten-free biscuits are produced in a workshop located in the Rukun Tetangga area of Kampung Cenderawasih Timur, here.

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Among her gluten-free biscuits are suji, nuts, coconut and triple chocolate, as well as oat cereal and murukku, marketed under the Izzah Recipe brand, which sees high demand, including in a nationwide sales tour series.

"I started selling food products in 2011, but after being diagnosed with cancer, I revamped the cookie recipe and marketed it by setting up booths at government offices and participating in sales programmes.

"This gluten-free product is produced all year round, not limited to just festive seasons. The price ranges from RM10 to RM35, and I have five stockists and six sales agents," she said.

Sharing her involvement in the business world, the mother of two, said she faced a challenging life after becoming a single mum in the late 1990s.

Not wanting to be shackled by poverty any longer, she chose to rise up and successfully freed herself from the label of being an asnaf, thanks to the food business she started.

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The recipient of the 2023 Asnaf Entrepreneur Icon Award from the Pahang Islamic Religious and Malay Customs Council (MUIP) said that her success was also driven by support from MUIP, which provided equipment and cash assistance, in addition to receiving guidance from the Smallholder Rubber Industry Development Authority.

"In the 1990s, when the children were still small, I did several jobs a day, including being a garbage collector and washing dishes, in addition to earning money by making cakes. I did all that because there were two children to feed.

"After that, I gradually started taking orders for 'kuih' and increased the number of products produced, thereby boosting our family's income to enjoy a more comfortable life," she added.

-- BERNAMA