UAE food bank to start operations in March

Dubai - Within the next three years, the UAE food bank will have branches across UAE to facilitate food collection process from food entities to charity organizations.

The first branch of UAE food bank is set to open during the first week of March, a top Dubai Municipality official said. 
On the sidelines of Gulfood 2017, Noura Al Shamsi, Head of Permits and Applied Nutrition Section at DM, said the branch, which will be located around Al Quoz area, is among five others that will be launched by end of this year. 
Within the next three years, the UAE food bank will have branches across UAE to facilitate food collection process from food entities to charity organizations. 
She added that while the different small branches (or containers) of the food bank will help in distributing daily products, a main branch will store long-shelf products. 
However, specific locations of the branches were not yet disclosed.  
"The containers will be the hub where food is collected from food entities and hypermarkets. Charity organizations will be able to pick up the surplus food from the container and distribute it to the needy on the same day," noted Al Shamsi. 
Specialized food trucks for the first branch will be provided depending on quantities of food collected.  
Announced in January, the UAE food bank aims to eliminate food waste, making Dubai the first city in the Middle East to achieve zero food waste through distributing surplus fresh and dry food to those in need at both a local and regional level.
During its first five days, the UAE Food Bank signed agreements with 85 hospitality-sector entities, including hundreds of restaurants and over 100 supermarkets. 
She added that qualified and trained food safety supervisors will be present at every branch, working on two shifts, to ensure that safety requirements are followed. Every zone in Dubai will have a food truck to transfer the surplus amount of food.  
Hotels employees and charity entities will be educated on how the process will work through a workshop that will be conducted by the municipality on March 1. 
A guidebook will also be distributed to food entities stating specific safety requirements to be followed while donating the surplus food, such as portion sizes, food temperature and packaging. 
Al Shamsi said the Food Bank will include other programs besides distributing food to the needy. 
"As we aim to have zero food waste, we will collaborate with the municipality's Waste Management Department on converting the organic waste, which cannot be distributed, to energy and fertilizers. We will also include the environmental aspect as we educate the public on recycling food," she added. 
App to facilitate the process 
Bobby Krishna, food safety specialist at DM, said a smart app will be launched to facilitate the process of food transfer. 
"The application will track the food from its source till delivery. Through it, food companies can notify us with quantity of food available for donation, and in return, charity associations will be up to date with food available," said Krishna. 
The smart system will also help keep track of meals donated throughout the day. Individuals will be able to register as volunteers through the app. 
Food bank initiative to include the public
While the food bank will be focused on collecting surplus food from hospitality sector and big hypermarkets, a program targeting residential areas will also be launched during the holy month of Ramadan. 
"Besides collecting food, the program will also aim at educating the public on the type of food that can be donated. There is specific high risk food that cannot be distributed, such as salads for example," noted Al Shamsi. 
She added that the Food Safety Department is looking at coordinating with the Waste Management Department to determine the areas with highest food waste. "In this way, we will be more structured and organized." 
Meitha Al Marri, senior food inspection officer, said as food bank will have strictly regulate food safety, "It will be difficult to accept food from households." 
"Food companies and charities already have qualified supervisors who coordinate with ours, so there's that control. We cannot, however, control food that comes from households," said Al Marri, noting that individuals can register in the food bank as volunteers, not as donors. 
An execution committee is currently regulating the Food Bank initiative. The committee, chaired by Dubai Municipality, includes representatives of Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities, Food & Beverage entities, DP World and Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing. 
The UAE Food Bank's first campaign is set to distribute 30,000 meal packages to those in need. 
sherouk@khaleejtimes.com 

• Dubai