UAE's new zero-food waste guide to help cut loss by up to 60%

A zero-food waste guide that helps event organisers and food businesses put a curb on food loss was released on Wednesday by Ne’ma.

Emirates Foundation’s food loss initiative which kicked off in March 2022, has been collaborating with major events, including COP28, Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC) and Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW) to reduce food waste. They managed to lower food loss by up to 60 per cent, said Khuloud Al Nuwais, Secretary-General of Ne’ma and Chief Executive of Emirates Foundation.

It is difficult to measure actual wasted food, she said, but between 30 to 40 percent of locally grown and imported food is wasted.

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“We import 80 to 30 percent of our food, then waste 30% of it — so one third of it in average.”

The collaborations launched by Ne’ma on a federal level will pave the path for an accurate food-loss index which would assist in combating food waste, she added.

During zero-waste events managed by Na’ema, perfectly edible food is handed out to those in need, while leftovers are composited and turned into fertilisers to avoid sending any food remains to landfills. She said behavioural change is key; “The guide we just launched is the outcome of our collaborations over the last two years”.

Examples of minimal measures that impact food practices include handing out smaller plates at open buffets and posting ‘nudges’ - key messages placed in food outlets to influence consumer behaviour.

“Sometimes you see people piling up their plates with food at buffets and most of it goes to waste.

“The UAE is a very hospitable culture, they have the culture of buffets and (lavish) restaurants. We don’t want people not to enjoy that, but we want them to be conscious consumers,” she explained, “We want to make sure that the food they put on their plates does not go to waste, and this is why we have introduced the (guide’s) simple steps and measures.”

The guide advises event planners to pre-plan their menus and control portions, train the catering team on food waste management, and empowering chefs to adjust menus when certain items are repeatedly not consumed.

One success case was that of Capital Catering who managed to rescue over 400kg of unserved food from going to landfills during ADSW last year; over 1,000 meals were delivered to unprivileged families, while three tonnes of leftovers were converted into 500kg of natural fertiliser.

• UAE Food Bank’s initiatives touch lives of over 18.6 million people worldwide