Each year, an estimated 3.27 million tons of food are wasted in the UAE, according to a report published in 2024 by the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment.

In Dubai alone, 38 percent of prepared food is wasted daily, a figure that rises to 60 percent during Ramadan.

The UAE set a national target of reducing food waste by 50 percent by 2030, in line with the country’s food security strategy and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

According to the UAE’s National Food Loss and Waste Initiative’s website, this target aims to cause a behavioral change in how people approach food waste and collectively strive toward a sustainable future.

This Ramadan, the UAE’s Food Bank launched an initiative to reduce food waste during the holy month by collecting food surplus from supermarkets, hotels and restaurants across the country.

Collaborating with Deliveroo, a food delivery app in the UAE, 500 tons of food are set to be collected this month.

Issa Hassan, general manager and representative of the UAE Food Bank, told Arab News that the food collected would be distributed to families in need and people living in harsh conditions.

“Since (the COVID-19 pandemic), many laborers are suffering, and we’re talking about hundreds of laborers who have no jobs or low salaries and cannot afford to eat. The food we are getting from different entities is getting transferred to them, and at least there are people benefitting from this food that used to go to the garbage,” he said.

Food is collected daily from hotels and restaurants then repackaged and sent off to families in need, explained Hassan.

“Although food waste is a huge problem throughout the year, there is an increase during Ramadan,” he added.

The UAE’s National Food Loss and Waste Initiative, also known as Ne’ma, is involved in the food collection project as well.

Each year, Ne’ma leads one of the largest food drives in the country during Ramadan and places community fridges in high-demand areas.

Community fridges accept donations of food and water, and trained kitchen staff package the meals and distribute them to ensure health and safety standards are maintained.

The UAE’s National Food Loss and Waste Initiative reported a 62 percent decrease in food waste in 2023 achieved during behavioral nudge trials in the hospitality sector.

In addition to the food drive, the UAE Food Bank has led initiatives to raise awareness on food security and demonstrate how food waste can be reduced at home.

Hassan encouraged families to package their leftover food from iftar or any other meal and distribute it to people in their communities.

“Maybe a security guard, people at the mosque or even your neighbors can benefit from this food,” he added.