How surplus food is saved in the UAE for those who need it

Dubai: Every day, crates of fruits and vegetables get collected from around 200 hotel partners, food establishments, supermarkets, vegetable and fruit markets, central kitchens and charities across the UAE for a purpose.

They are surplus foods which are saved from being wasted. Fresh and very much edible, these foods are repacked at six locations – three in Dubai, one each in Ajman, Umm al Quwain and Ras Al Khaimah – before being distributed to needy families and several workers’ accommodations.

The initiative is called ‘1 Million Saved Meals Campaign’, one of the four sub-initiatives of UAE Food Bank aimed at contributing to achieving food security, and is also part of the ‘1 Billion Meals campaign’, the largest in the region that provides food support to the disadvantaged and vulnerable in 50 countries.

On Thursday, Gulf News was invited at the cold storage of Al Bakrawe Foods in Ras Al Khor Industrial Area 3 to see how food packs are being prepared for distribution. There were 14 rooms which can accommodate up to 32 containers, with each container weighing around 22 tonnes.

Volunteers work in repacking the fruits – bananas, apples, oranges, grapes, etc – for distribution to needy families and workers. Potatoes, onions, legumes, and other vegetables, meanwhile, were earmarked for distribution to various ‘Kindness Kitchens’, which in turn prepare daily hot iftar meals.

Dr Issam Sharaf Al Hashmi from UAE Food Bank’s food trade control section said around 70,000 meals are distributed daily since Ramadan, aside from grocery kits and fruit baskets. He said: “We take the extra food from supermarkets, hotels and restaurants and distribute them.”

The original target was one million meals, but they have so far distributed around 1.3 million meals, thanks to their collaboration with more than 55 hotels, 65 food institutions, 35 retailers, fruits and vegetables markets, as well as 13 charity foundations and 10 central kitchens. Over 150 volunteers are also on hand to directly support the campaign’s operations.

The campaign, however, is not only limited during Ramadan but available all year-round. Al Hashmi said they collect between 15-16 tonnes of fruits and vegetables annually for free distribution to the needy.

Share blessings of food

Sheikha Hind bint Maktoum bin Juma Al Maktoum, Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of the UAE Food Bank and wife of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, earlier said: “Since its establishment, the UAE Food Bank aided more than 37 billion beneficiaries locally and globally, and we aim to continue expanding its operations.”

“The UAE Food Bank is only one of many humanitarian initiatives by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and its role is to highlight the value and blessings of food. Food surplus is enough to feed many, and this Ramadan’s campaign is part of the 1 Billion Meals initiative,” she added.

The campaign also provides an innovative solution to convert food waste – that is not fit for consumption – into organic fertiliser and biofuel, in cooperation with start-up company Reloop, which specialises in circular economy. According to Reloop’s statistics, the leftovers from one million meals can cover 1.25 million square feet of agricultural land with organic fertiliser, spare landfills the equivalent of 625,000 kilogrammes of waste, and provide 160,000 litres of biofuel.

The campaign is a strong response to global hunger. According to reports, 1.3 billion tonnes of food is wasted annually around the world, with a total value of US$1 trillion. The disposal of food waste costs about US$410 billion annually, while the indirect repercussions of this crisis are the depletion of more water resources and agricultural land and labor, in addition to polluting the climate with emissions. A quarter of the food wasted annually can feed more than 870 million people.

Kindness initiatives

Dawood Al Hajri, deputy chairman of the Board of Trustees of the UAE Food Bank and Director-General of Dubai Municipality, said: “We are cooperating with the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives (MBRGI) to achieve the humanitarian goals of the 1 Billion Meals initiative by providing food support to the needy and the vulnerable. We are also organising, under the 1 Million Saved Meals Campaign, four sub-initiatives that aim to contribute to achieving food security.”

The four sub-initiatives include the Goodness Kitchen Initiative, Hotel Ramadan Buffet Initiative, the Ramadan Basket of Fruits and Vegetables, and the Ramadan Meer Initiative.

The Goodness Kitchen Initiative collects vegetables and other ingredients from cooperatives, supermarkets and retail stores. These in turn are distributed to central kitchens, where meals are prepared before distribution to needy families and workers.

The Hotel Ramadan Buffet initiative, on the other hand, collects food surplus that is fit for consumption and available at hotel iftar buffets. These are then repacked and delivered to beneficiaries identified by the Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department.

The Ramadan Meer initiative collects basic foodstuffs from cooperative societies, supermarkets and retail stores and delivers them to the Emirates Food Bank’s warehouses. They are packed into containing the elements required to prepare a nutritious meal and then distributed to beneficiaries across the UAE.

The Ramadan Basket of Fruits and Vegetables focuses on preparing baskets that include vegetables and fruits in cooperation with the partners of the 1 Million Saved Meals Campaign, which are then distributed to underprivileged individuals and families.

Food a basic need

Meanwhile, Mohammad Al Gergawi, secretary general of MBRGI, said the initiative has begun distribution in several countries, including Nigeria, Sudan, Albania, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, India, and Kosovo.

“The influx of donations reflects the comprehensive nature of the initiative that aims to provide food aid as it is a basic human need,” noted Al Gergawi, adding: “The donation drive has turned into a social movement, coming from the UAE.

“Donors to the 1 Billion Meals initiative are feeding the hungry, embodying the values of the holy month of Ramadan. They are also contributing to achieving the second goal of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals – zero hunger. They are also renewing faith in humanity by sending, as His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum put it – one billion humanitarian messages from the UAE to the world,” he continued.

How to donate?

Donors can contribute to the 1 Billion Meals initiative through the following donation channels – the campaign’s official website: www.1billionmeals.ae; bank transfer to the campaign’s account at Emirates NBD, number: AE300260001015333439802. Donors can also opt to donate Dh1 a day through a monthly subscription by sending “Meal” or “وجبة” via SMS to 1020 on the du network or 1110 on the Etisalat network. Donations can also be made through the campaign’s call center via a toll-free number 8009999.

By the numbers

1 billion – target meals for distribution in 50 countries across the world

1.3 – billion tonnes of food is wasted annually around the world, with a total value of US$1 trillion

410 – billion dollars needed annually to cover disposal of food waste

870 – million people can be fed by only a quarter of the food wasted annually globally

200 – UAE Food Bank partner hotels, restaurant, supermarkets, markets and central kitchens

70,000 – meals daily distributed by UAE Food Bank

1 – as low as one dirham can be donated to the 1 Billion Meals Initiative

8009999 – toll free number of the 1 Billion Meals Initiative