UAE targets reducing food loss, waste by 50% by 2030

The UAE has launched a national action plan to reduce food loss and waste in the country by 50 per cent by 2030.

Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri, Minister of Climate Change and the Environment unveiled the roadmap at the fourth National Dialogue on Food Security organised by the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment with ne’ma, the National Food Loss and Waste Initiative.

The event, held under the theme ‘Call for Change: Reducing Food Loss and Waste in the UAE, included high-level panel discussions that identified challenges and solutions, while mapping hotspots of food loss and waste, systemic gaps, and best practices.

The event also focused on mobilising the public and private sectors and community to change current consumption habits.

Food loss and waste are key challenges globally

Almheiri said: “With only a few days away from our nation hosting COP28, this event underlines the strong commitment of the UAE in addressing all sectors that have a defining role in addressing the impact of climate change. And food and agriculture systems play a pivotal role in this regard, especially with food loss and waste one of the core challenges that humanity must address as a priority.”

Earlier this year, Almheiri also launched the COP28 Food Systems and Agricultural Agenda to transform global food systems and ensure their long-term sustainability.

“The importance of addressing food loss and waste is a strategic imperative for the world,” said Almheiri. “Today, according to the World Food Program, one-third of food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted globally. Further, it is estimated that all the food produced but never eaten would be sufficient to feed two billion people.”

Almheiri added: “Since its launch, ne’ma has delivered exceptional work – including food system mapping, setting goals and formalising a three-year strategy to reduce food loss and waste.”

The roadmap will serve as a collective effort to reduce food waste by creating new social norms, scaling best practices, and enabling policies across the entire food ecosystem.

“Our strategy is to mobilise all the stakeholders and accelerate action with a holistic and government-led approach. We will build capacity for food loss and waste monitoring, foster public-private partnerships for food loss and waste solutions, leverage innovative approaches to build the circular economy, and introduce new mandates and policies. Our goal is to become a nation where no food is wasted,” she said.

More than 200 interviews were held with food value chain and system-level actors, in addition to several workshops for collective ideation before the plan was launched.

At the event, Jumeirah Group, Hilton Group, Rotana Group and Expo City signed agreements with ne’ma to embrace food loss and waste reduction as a top priority.

Read: Dubai eyes zero food waste with the launch of UAE Food Bank