The UAE has announced a national initiative to reduce food waste by 50% by 2030. Her Excellency Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri, the Minister of Climate Change and the Environment introduced the 'Ne'ma Food Loss and Waste Reduction Roadmap'. This plan aims to significantly decrease food loss and waste within the country, as announced during the fourth National Dialogue on Food Security organised by the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment.
At the event, over 200 interviews were conducted with major companies and organisations in the industry, such as Jumeirah Group, Hilton Group, Rotana Group, and Expo City. All these entities have committed to prioritising food loss and waste reduction by signing agreements with the UAE's food loss and waste initiative, Ne'ma.
Announcing the strategic roadmap, Her Excellency Mariam bint Mohammed 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.”
Explaining the new roadmap to curb food loss and waste, Her Excellency Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri said Ne’ma is a compelling testament to the commitment and vision of our leadership to encourage social responsibility and promote sustainable practices nationwide. “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 is a joint effort to cut down on food waste by establishing new social habits, expanding successful methods, and implementing policies throughout the entire food system. The plan is to bring together everyone involved and speed up progress through a comprehensive and government-led strategy.
The UAE aims to enhance the ability to monitor food loss and waste, encourage collaborations between the public and private sectors for solutions, use creative methods to promote a circular economy and introduce new rules and policies. The objective is to transform into a country where no food goes to waste.