Ramadan reflections: Crafting a sustainable future by reducing food wastage

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The advent of Ramadan is a blessed time for deep reflection, gratitude, and spiritual growth – embracing a life away from extravagance to enhance our spiritual, mental and physical well-being.

This is also an opportune time to work towards protecting our environment, giving back to the community and sharing resources for a more sustainable future – and one of the most effective ways of pursuing that noble goal is by embracing green gastronomy.

Food during Ramadan

In a region where food wastage is a perennial concern, Ramadan sees the leftover food waste increase from 2.7kg to 4.5kg per person daily, according to data provided by Dubai Carbon Centre of Excellence.

The centre estimates that in the UAE, where a staggering 38 per cent of prepared food is thrown out annually, the number increases by 25 per cent during Ramadan compared to other months. And this excessive wastage comes at a massive cost: the calculated worth of food wasted every year is estimated to be Dhs4bn.

But that’s not all, when it comes to the impact of food wastage on our environment: the decomposition process of this surplus food also emits methane – which is 25 times more damaging than CO2.

In addition, the UAE imports 90 per cent of food, with food security being a key pillar of the UAE’s strategic vision for the future.

Clearly, the narrative of the UAE’s legendary hospitality, especially during Ramadan, needs to reflect a conscious move away from overindulgence to crafting a sustainable future through reducing food wastage and recovering and repurposing edible food to those in need.

Indeed, having a meal where nothing is thrown away is a winning scenario – not just in Ramadan, but during the entire year.

‘Feed the Future’

This is an essential cause for which not only individuals but also brands, hospitality partners and the corporate sector can work together to make a difference – and that’s exactly the driving force behind Majid Al Futtaim’s ‘Feed the Future’ initiative being progressively rolled out across our malls and businesses this Ramadan.

This food rescue programme aims to mitigate food wastage and focuses on recovering leftover and edible food from restaurants, cafés, and the Food Court in Majid Al Futtaim shopping malls, and repurposing it to the community, in partnership with Replate and the UAE Food Bank. As a Majid Al Futtaim initiative, all areas of the business are contributing to this ambitious initiative, including Carrefour, VOX Cinemas, Crate and Barrel, and the hotels connected to the UAE’s malls.

The initiative is supported by our partners such as Replate, which has teamed up Majid Al Futtaim shopping malls and allied Majid Al Futtaim businesses to schedule and manage surplus food donations during Ramadan, and coordinate pickups with the UAE Food Bank. These contributions are then distributed to charitable organisations and groups, including workers in communal housing and families across the UAE.

First introduced as a pilot project at Mall of the Emirates, it has expanded to address the larger issue of food wastage during Ramadan – and also ensure equitable distribution of scarce food resources thanks to its close alignment with the UAE’s core values of generosity and benevolence.

The initiative is a step towards a more sustainable future, of implemneting efficient food practices that address the task of lowering the carbon footprint of our gastronomic indulgences – especially during the Holy Month.

This is certainly a cause that has rapidly become popular, and it would behoove food and beverage services across the country, to join this noble initiative during the Holy Month and make it a wonderful success – in the true spirit of Ramadan.

The author, Fuad Mansoor Sharaf, is managing director of the UAE Shopping Malls at Majid Al Futtaim Properties.

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