Specialists estimated the amount of food waste in the country at more than 10 billion dirhams annually, and 30% of this waste is occurring in the month of Ramadan each year.
They demanded that community members replace the culture of wastefulness with management, while the state’s food security strategy aims to reduce food waste by 15%, by 2021, while the Department of Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities in Dubai confirmed that wastefulness is forbidden by law, and violates the directives of the guardian.
In detail, the Director General of the Preserving Grace Project at the Emirates Red Crescent Authority, Sultan Al Shehhi, told «Emirates Today» that «the volume of waste and wasteful food annually exceeds 10 billion dirhams in the country, about 30% of it in the month of Ramadan only», stressing On "the necessity of society members to move to a culture of management, rather than waste."
He stressed the need for families and individuals to demonstrate civilizational behaviors, and Islamic teachings related to reducing the culture of waste and not wasting, pointing out that the project of conservation of grace began two years ago, with the implementation of an educational awareness plan to remedy this phenomenon, through the initiative of the Ambassador of Grace Preservation, which included many government institutions Especially at the state level.
He noted that efforts to combat the phenomenon of extravagance and waste also included the school curricula, in coordination with the Ministry of Education, to include them in the school curricula, with the aim of consolidating the culture of preserving grace in the minds of children from a young age.
He stated that the Emirates Red Crescent Authority works, through the positive lifestyles program and the environmental safety program, to enhance the guiding behavior and raise awareness of the risks of diseases that may result from adopting negative nutritional methods, which may be the result of excessive and excessive food, without adopting a healthy food method, And exercising sports activities, which may result in exposure to diseases, the most important of which is diabetes.
Al-Shehhi explained that the Red Crescent, represented in the project of preserving grace, applies new procedures, to achieve the maximum benefit from the quantities of wasted food, based on two parts: The first is by recycling the remaining food to go to the poor and needy families as it has already been applied for years, while the slit is The second, which is innovative, is to utilize foods that are not usable for making fertilizers for plants and food for animals.
He stressed that the absence of societal culture regarding the optimal consumption of food is the obstacle and the biggest reason behind the high rate of waste, and reducing this percentage to a minimum starts with changing this culture, and inculcating the values of preserving grace.
The director of the Environmental Awareness Department at the Environment Agency in Abu Dhabi, Khansa Al-Blouki said: “With the advent of the month of Ramadan, annually, the authority renews its calls to rationalize the daily consumption of foodstuffs, reduce the volume of household waste, and emphasize the importance of respecting the blessing and ensuring the preservation of foods and their ease of disposal, through Take advantage of leftovers suitable for human consumption ».
Al-Blouki told Emirates Today that changing the pattern of consumption and purchase can be done through six steps, including: not to over-purchase, to track what the individual bought and consumed, and to check the dates of fresh food when purchasing what can be consumed only before the end of Its validity, planning what will be cooked, how the leftovers will be used, freezing surplus fruits and vegetables in its season, as well as bread and foods that will not be used soon, starting eating a small portion of food, and adding another if needed, in addition to donating surplus food to the needy or keeping it in Fridge.
Al-Balki called for benefiting from food recycling at home, by reusing food leftovers in new recipes, and investing in a "compost" device to convert food waste into organic fertilizer, which is used in home farming.
For his part, the Grand Muftien, Director of Ifta’s Department, Dr. Ahmed bin Abdulaziz Al-Haddad, stressed that extravagance is prohibited by Islamic law, and violates the directives of the guardian, pointing out that the directive of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, not to waste In all the requirements of life, especially in food and drink, feasting and clothing, it is the moderate, moderate approach to Islam in everything, including what preserves a person and the requirements of his life.
5 steps to reduce the quantities consumed
The director of the Environmental Awareness Department at the Environment Agency in Abu Dhabi, Khansa Al-Blouki, confirmed that there are five steps to reduce the quantities of food consumed and its waste:
1- Pre-planning the meal and preparing the food in suitable quantities.
2- Buy food produced locally, taking care to know the expiration dates.
3- Keeping fresh food properly, to prolong its fresh stay.
4- Not going to the market in the event of feeling hungry.
5- Take advantage of leftovers, and use waste to fertilize the land.
Al-Muhairi: The individual in the state wastes 179 kilograms of food
"The state aims to reduce food waste by 15% by 2021, as part of its strategic plan to achieve food security," said Mariam al-Muhairi, Minister of State for Food Security. And she explained, in previous statements, that an individual in the state annually wastes 179 kilograms of food, according to the latest official statistical data. She added that the state intends to implement many programs and initiatives to reduce food waste during the coming period, as part of the efforts of the competent authorities to preserve food, noting that one of the most prominent efforts that have been made during the past period is the establishment of Emirates Food Bank, which has become followed by seven banks and branches, To receive food to keep it from being wasted.
She added that the state provides its citizens with 200 nationalities with the necessary food, while at the same time working to raise awareness of various ways among all these nationalities to preserve food.