It is crucial for long-term sustainability that food waste be reduced in Middle East

Because of its hot, arid climate, some countries Middle Eastern countries have to import as much as 90 percent of their food, sparking discussions on the need for food waste strategies to conserve the region's limited natural resources.

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations estimates that the yearly cost of food waste is between US $2.6 trillion and US $3.1 trillion, with environmental costs accounting for between US $700 billion and US $900 billion, and social costs accounting for the remaining US $900 billion. In the Near East and North Africa, roughly a third of all food produced is lost or wasted each year, according to the FAO's estimations (or an average of 250 kilogrammes per person). Up to 30 percent of the region's water and energy resources are also lost or wasted due to food loss or spoilage. About 34% of waste, according to experts' estimates, is due to individuals.

Negative environmental effects are caused by food waste. These include, but are not limited to, deforestation, crop failures, increased greenhouse gas emissions, soil deterioration, and decreased farmer income. Instability in food prices, caused by a lack of available food, makes healthy eating out of reach for a larger portion of the population. Widespread starvation, nutritional deficiencies, and increased healthcare expenditures due to decreased productivity from hungry people are the results of lower amounts and higher prices of food items.

Considering all this, it is tragic that so much food is wasted every year. Key points of food waste across the supply chain have been recognised by regulators in recent years, allowing for the development of novel remedies. Crop failure or decline often occurs at the beginning, where primary production of food occurs, due to illnesses, bad weather, or pests. Produce that doesn't fulfil quality or quantity requirements set forth in a contract may be rejected and thrown away. Other causes of spoilage include careless storing, poor transportation temperature control, and rough handling.

Wasted food costs the UAE economy an estimated 13 billion dirhams (US $3.5 billion) every year. Since more than 90% of its food supply comes from outside the country, reducing food waste has become an important goal. Several initiatives have been implemented to this end. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) created its first food bank in 2017 to collect and distribute fresh food to the region's underprivileged. The United Arab Emirates' (UAE) Ministry of Climate Change and Environment partnered with the tech company Winnow in 2019 to launch an AI-based system that helps chefs keep tabs on perishable food items that are frequently thrown away, thereby encouraging them to modify their orders to save money and precious resources like energy and water.

Cutting down on food waste across the region's food system is an immediate priority. Doing so will protect the region's valuable natural resources while ensuring that people have access to healthy, cheap food.           

Saudi Arabia Begins Campaign To Save SR40 Billion

Recently, the Saudi Ministry of Environment, Water, and Agriculture and the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Housing announced a countrywide effort to minimise food waste totaling SR40 billion (US $10.66 billion).

Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Housing Majid Al-Hogail spoke at the inauguration ceremony and the inaugural meeting of the board of trustees, where he emphasised the need to protect the country's Islamic teachings and values and the bounty of its food supply. He stated that the food security and the economy of the Kingdom were being negatively impacted by the excessive food waste and the dumping of enormous quantities of food. He disclosed that the accumulated garbage in the Kingdom was worth around SR40 billion and argued that the situation required a multipronged approach. The most crucial was encouraging citizens and authorities to discover beneficial applications for unwanted food items. He also explained that the program's ultimate objective was to establish a permanent legal body to encourage widespread community involvement in finding effective strategies for minimising food waste.

The ministry seeks to accomplish its aims by serving as a repository of resources, including monetary aid, expertise, logistical data, and community support. Saudi Arabia's Minister of Environment, Water, and Agriculture, Abdulrahman Al-Fadhli, has stated that the country's focus on the non-profit sector is an example of the Kingdom's commitment to social progress in line with Vision 2030's goals. The establishment of the programme is a crucial step in the ministry's effort to facilitate the expansion of nonprofits, which is one of its strategic goals.

Sodexo Crafting A Sustainable Food Environment

WasteWatch, a programme introduced by Sodexo in 2018, aims to reduce food waste by 50% by 2025, with the goal of eliminating all food waste sent to landfills. Although this is a lofty goal, there are numerous reasons to work toward it, including the benefits to the environment, society, and the economy. In the second half of 2021, the initiative will expand to 41 locations around the Middle East. When all of our customers are on board with these goals, everyone wins.

CEO of Sodexo Middle East Rachid Noujeim recently stated, "Sustainability has always been at the core of Sodexo's beliefs." This statement reaffirms the company's dedication to waste reduction. "We, as a firm dedicated to improving people's "Quality of Life," hold that a sustainable ecosystem is crucial to long-term human flourishing and prosperity."

Denis Machuel,  former global CEO of Sodexo, makes the company's stance on food waste clear: "We need to intensify the fight against food waste for the benefit of humanity and in light of hunger globally. As a company, Sodexo is committed to doing its part and empowering its customers and the consumers it serves, and we see the quick rollout of WasteWatch as a rallying cry to achieve this goal. We need to keep tabs on the total amount of food thrown away across all of our dining facilities, and we're committing to making that information public in order to create a feeling of urgency and inspire us to continually improve."

A proper analysis and comprehension of the problem at hand is always the starting point. The first step the corporation has taken is to conduct precise measurements of the amounts of food that are wasted at each of its locations. This involves weighing everything that gets thrown away and categorising it to better understand what caused the waste. Did a consumer leave it in the cafeteria, or did someone make it there? Which came first, the scraps during cooking or the cold leftovers after service? Was it perishable goods that were overordered for a gathering but never consumed, or non-moving goods that were purchased but never put to use? Over 11,000 kilogrammes of food waste was documented over a five-month period during the pilot phase, which took place at five different sites in the United Arab Emirates.

After data collection, information is stored in the AI-driven system run by the company's technology partner, Leanpath, which keeps track of all the recordings and generates a graphical representation of the findings. This helps everyone to see immediately where the waste is coming from. It's a powerful method of revealing where your focus should be.

Once this procedure is completed, food waste is typically reduced by half and overall food expenses are typically reduced by three percent in each given kitchen where the programme has been implemented. Staff engagement is said to have increased at sites where the programme was implemented. This is an excellent example of a project that succeeds and benefits everyone involved. This is a win-win situation that the company is pleased to facilitate.

Local Consumption Habits And Food Waste Having Global Implications

The results of a new survey commissioned by the engineering solutions company Danfoss show that the vast majority of residents in the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia are aware of the consequences of food waste and are taking action to lessen their personal contribution. YouGov conducted a survey in May across the three nations and found that 83% of locals are aware of the environmental implications of food waste, with 77% taking action. In recent years, the number of hotels and restaurants in the Middle East has skyrocketed, leading to a corresponding increase in food waste. It is estimated that food waste costs Saudi Arabia US $13.3 billion annually, whereas, in the United Arab Emirates, food waste accounts for 40 percent of all trash.

Ziad Al Bawaliz, regional president for Turkey, the Middle East, and Africa at Danfoss, said, "The food consumption habits in the Middle East are some of the most concerning in the world, and this has a significant impact on the global environment, whether it's through overflowing landfills or the emission of greenhouse gases as a result of the food waste" (TMA).

There are a lot of programmes popping up in the area to help curb food waste. With the help of the UAE Food Bank, Dubai aims to become the region's first metropolis with zero food waste.

79 percent respondents say they are more aware of food waste during Ramadan because of food-saving activities, while 68 percent say they frequently take leftovers home when eating at restaurants and 83 percent say they would give their leftovers to the less fortunate if given the chance.

These findings are encouraging, showing that people in the Middle East are starting to pay attention to the environmental damage they've been causing with their own behaviours. Bawaliz added, "I hope the Middle East keeps moving in this direction and eventually reaches its aim of zero food waste."