Abu Dhabi: It is common for friends and families in Ramadan to gather for iftar after ending their fast. In many households, this means bigger grocery purchases owing to the increase in dishes being cooked for family and friends. The bulk offers in supermarkets during Ramadan, plus the various discounts on essential commodities, means people purchase far more items in this month and while much of the purchases could be entirely necessary given the requirements of families, it is also probable that in some instances, food gets wasted.
Gulf News asked shoppers in supermarkets in the capital on what factors influence their purchases and for tips on how to shop judiciously, thereby reducing wastage.
Ruba Shafie, 32, from Jordan
Trolley items: Fruit juices, milk, cheese, bread, chicken, vegetables, fruits, water and household items.
Shafie is a working mum who prefers to do the shopping for her family of four on a weekly basis.
Ruba Shafie’s shopping list
“I make a meal plan for the week and then base my shopping on that. This way, there is no wastage.”
This is a method she uses all year round that prevents her from buying items she does not need, a plan she sticks to even in Ramadan. “I plan every meal and I know that if we are going to have guests over for iftar, then I will be cooking one less meal that week. There will be leftovers for sure and I plan shopping for one less meal.”
Shafie learnt the hard way that bulk shopping was not the right choice for her small family. “Like most women, I learnt shopping from my mum. But at my parent’s home, iftar was much busier with a lot more people. It took me time to realise that I should shop less and not buy the big packs, even if they are on offer.
“Earlier, I used to see some of my shopping go to waste because there was so much extra, but not anymore.”
Another reason for avoiding bundle offers is they do not suit her lifestyle. “I’m a working mum, I don’t have time to check expiry dates on food or to constantly check what we have left from the big packs and so on.”
She tries to teach her two young daughters about the importance of buying only what you need by allowing them to pick their own weekly snacks.
“They get to pick their five snacks for the five days of school at the supermarket. They really enjoy it and they learn to not buy anything extra.”
Shafie said she is extra careful with her shopping this Ramadan as the family is going on vacation soon. “I will stop buying fresh produce a few days before I leave to avoid wastage.”
Yasmin Ghazi, 51, from Pakistan
Trolley items: Packs of meat, fruit juice, chicken, processed meat, chicken nuggets, frozen food (on offer), kitchen towels (on offer) and toilet rolls (on offer).
Ghazi prefers a weekly shopping trip to the supermarket for her family of four but for Ramadan, she bought what she calls the “dry items” that she uses frequently, such as rice, flour and oil at the beginning of the month.
“My weekly shopping is mostly for fresh items and what we need in the house [on a daily basis].”
She said she is selective about what items she buys in bulk and supermarket offers so that she does not waste her money or the food. She carries a shopping list with her and ticks off the items as she picks them off the shelves.
“I buy items like oil, kitchen rolls and ketchup on offers but not things like cheese, frozen items or juices.”
She picks up a bottle of fruit juice that is not on offer and points to a bundle offer on fruit juice packs to explain her approach to buying. “You can see the [bundle] offer is usually of juices of different flavours. My family may like one flavour but not the other and so the other one will go waste. Even if I decide to give it to someone else, maybe they don’t relish that particular flavour and might discard it.”
On the other hand, she holds out the three packs of frozen chicken [which she has picked up] on offer and explains that as the expiry date is still some time away, she knows the chicken will be consumed over the next couple of weeks and not be wasted.
During Ramadan, she buys more fruits than vegetables because her family have a lot more fruit salads during this time of the year. Her family buys boxes of fruits such as apricots and grapes from the local market on a weekly basis as they find them more cost-effective and will keep for a week.
Loubna Kamal, 40, from Lebanon
Trolley items: Vegetables (potatoes and spring onions), sweets, cheesecake, mayonnaise and a pack of jelly.
The mother of four said she tries to do big shopping once a week. However, her schedule is rather different over Ramadan.
“I go shopping more during Ramadan because I don’t want to buy a lot at once and have things wasted. And because the children are at home more, I have to get more things for them.”
She said the most important lesson she learnt about shopping was to make a list and stick to it, specially over Ramadan, as you may be shopping when you are hungry. “I used to make a list but then I saw something that I liked or was on offer, and I would buy that too. Broccoli or mushrooms were my weakness because they looked so good but unless I made soup with them, they would go to waste. So now I stick to my list.”
Kamal said she shops more when she has guests for iftar and admits to still having a challenge on her hands meeting the cultural expectations of offering an abundance of food to guests and ensuring she is not overbuying.
“Yes, unfortunately, when we have guests, that’s the time that we probably have items go to waste. Because we are afraid we will need more of a vegetable or a fruit, so we buy more.”
Another reason for buying some items in excess is because local supermarkets may not have the typical ingredients required for cooking traditional dishes for guests and this could provoke a buying spree as “then I would not stress about not having enough”.
Kamal avoids buying big packs on offers except for food items that are popular at her home, like jelly. “The children always relish jelly, so I buy the big packs. I only buy such deals on items I know we will definitely eat.”
Toufic Mardini, 49, from Jordan
Trolley items: Fruits and vegetables (eggplant, apricots, cucumber), a small bag of rice, toilet paper, cheese, bread, water.
Dr Mardini and his wife are experienced shoppers who shop for a family of three based on their list. He said they buy only what is necessary and they never throw anything away.
“What we buy goes to the stomach, we don’t buy anything extra,” said Dr Mardini.
“We make a list of what we need at home, this really helps,” he said. “If you don’t have a list, you end up buying what you feel like or items that you think look good at the time but you will not use them, you will end up having to throw them away. Planning is very important.”
They said they rarely go for supermarket offers and instead buy the ‘best buy’ from each supermarket.
“We make comparisons between the different supermarkets to make sure we are getting the best deals,” said Dr Mardini.
“We don’t buy big packs of food just because they are on offer, we buy what we consume. It is a waste of our money if we end up throwing things away.”
Dr Mardini’s said he would try and advise others to not buy things randomly. “Think about whether you really need it or not. This month is all about being good and healthy, so we should take care of what we eat and what we buy. Wasting in Ramadan is not good.”
BOX
Tips to avoid wasting food:
1. Plan your week’s meals and make a list of ingredients required.
2. Carry a shopping list and stick to it.
3. Avoid buying items on offer just because they are cheaper. Check that your family will like the flavours.
4. Be careful with bulk offers as they can expire before you have used them up.
5. Buy fresh items such as meat, fruit and vegetable on a weekly basis and only in quantities you will consume.
6. If you know you have guests for iftar, buy fewer items for the rest of the week as there will be leftovers.
7. Try and avoid sporadic shopping, this will probably lead you to buy items you do not need.
8. Look for offers on items that do not expire easily such as flour, oil, ketchup.
9. If you are going on vacation, try and minimise shopping for fresh items.
10. Change your shopping list to suit your family’s preferences during this month as eating habits change during Ramadan.
