Ramadan 2016: Donate surplus food, residents told

Wastage of food increases during Ramadan

With generosity being a deep-rooted habit in Arab culture, experts urged donating surplus food in Ramadan.
Dubai Municipality announced that residents and Ramadan tents will be the focus of its initiatives this year.
Speaking to Khaleej Times, Meitha Al Marri, senior food inspection officer, stated that a social media campaign will be launched to raise awareness about food waste to residents.
"We will air an awareness short film as well as send text messages and social media posts to remind people that Ramadan is not about wasting food," said Al Marri.
"People should reduce their cooking. If we reduce food, we will reduce waste."
A 2014 report by the Environment Agency in Abu Dhabi revealed that GCC countries were among the world's top generators of food waste.
In the UAE, food waste in any other month comprises 39 per cent of an average household's organic waste, but during Ramadan, according to estimates by Dubai Municipality, this ratio increases to roughly 55 per cent, or 1,850 tonnes.
Al Marri noted that through the municipality's food donation initiative Heafz Al Na'amah, owners of Ramadan tents will be encouraged this year to donate excessive food to charity organisations registered with the municipality.
"We will first make sure tents serve good quality and clean meals with the presence of a health supervisor," she said. The initiative, launched by the Food Safety Department of Dubai Municipality in 2005, coordinates with hotels to donate the surplus of food to needy people through charity associations.
The Dubai World Trade Centre, JW Marriot Hotel, Armani Hotel, Al Bustan Group, Al Murooj Rotana and Madinat Jumeirah hotels are among the initiative's participants.
Extra food is donated to Emirates Red Crescent, Ro'yati Family Society, Tarahum Charity Foundation and Al Maktoum Foundation.
Figures presented by the municipality showed that the number of beneficiaries increased 13.6 times since the initiative started in 2005 until 2015. Al Marri said the number is expected to increase this year.
"We urge everyone, not only hotels, to cooperate towards helping the under-privileged. "Shop and cook only for the required number individuals."
She added that generosity is a good trait, but it can be misunderstood as forbidden extravagance. 
Reward system
Head of administrative Support and Customers Section at Dubai Municipality, Hussain Ghulam, said an initiative called 'Smart Homes,' which was launched last Ramadan, will continue this year.
 The initiative encourages Dubai residents to reduce waste during the holy month. He said that Smart Homes is a waste gathering technique in electronic containers that measures the amount of waste produced by each home.
"The initiative mainly targets residential areas dominated by Emirati residents due to their large family gatherings," he said.
Homes that produce the least amount of waste during the holy month are rewarded with cash prizes and certificates that encourage them to reduce waste.
"We saw great results last year. There was a significant decrease of waste and we expect it to continue," said Ghulam.
Ghulam urged residents to get into the habit of smart shopping during Ramadan. "Do not shop for unnecessary items that might not be used. Adopt a shopping pattern. Also, try to segregate waste into separate categories to help recycling centers do their job."
He also called for avoiding the habit of overcooking during the holy month. Islamic experts call for moderation in Ramadan.
Prominent Islamic researcher Dr Mohamed Ashmawy said the holy month of Ramadan is a spiritually uplifting season where Muslims are instructed to fast so that they can be pious, get closer to Almighty Allah, train more on a variety of worship, feel the need of the poor, and be more forgiving and giving.
Dr Qutb Abdulhameed, imam of the Green Mosque and adviser to the department of Islamic affairs and charitable activities Dubai, said tonnes of food and drinks are regrettably dumped though millions of people are suffering abject poverty in every nook and corner across the globe.
"The negative culture of over consumption in Ramadan is weird to Muslim communities, utterly contradicts the goals of fasting, adds more financial burdens, creates more family disputes, and aggravates the gap between social classes." 
Readers' feedback
Blogger Abdul Rehman criticised associating the holy month with extravagant celebrations. "We forget that it is the month of forgiveness that has been ordained for prayers and repent."
He stressed on remembering war victims and the under-privileged all around the world. "This time let us take an oath not to conduct or attend iftar parties, which would be termed wrong as it promotes heavy wastage of food. This time money saved need to be sent to those who suffer around us."
Sina Al Ansari said that shopping with an empty stomach forces people to buy unnecessary items. He urged having self-surveillance when it comes to food habits in Ramadan.
"If you know that eating half a kg of meat is enough for Iftar, then don't cook 2.5kg," he said. "Decent leftovers can always be used the next day."
Dedra Stevenson stressed on sharing food with friends to make sure everything is consumed.
"Drink water and eat three dates at iftar then pray. It'll help a lot with eating the right amount." -  sherouk@khaleejtimes.com
(with inputs from Ahmed Shaaban)