How Ferjan Dubai will now help cut community food waste

Dubai: Ferjan Dubai, a community initiative that promotes communication across Dubai neighbourhoods, will now help the UAE Food Bank manage and distribute surplus food and reduce waste in the emirate.

The initiative, which will begin during Ramadan, follows an agreement that Ferjan Dubai entered with the UAE Food Bank at the World Government Summit yesterday.

The UAE Food Bank, which operates under the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives (MBRGI) umbrella, collects, distributes and manages excess food to reduce waste and support beneficiaries globally. Ferjan Dubai, through its active communication platforms on the web and social media, will enable the disssemination of necessary information among the various communities it is engaged with.

As Manal Bin-Yaarouf, Head of the Executive Team of the UAE Food Bank, explained, “Ferjan Dubai will extend media support to the UAE Food Bank’s events throughout the holy month of Ramadan. This collaboration aims to actively engage with the bank in conveying its message, promoting the principles of community responsibility and volunteerism, reinforcing the importance of responsible food handling, and raising awareness among various segments of society, including youth, partners and volunteers.”

Alia Alshamlan, Director of Ferjan Dubai, said: “Through careful collection, processing and distribution of food waste adhering to top standards, we will ensure that surplus food reaches the beneficiaries, fostering a humanitarian approach to nourishment. In addition, it will contribute to the promotion of the concepts of recycling excess and non-consumable food, positively impacting environmental sustainability and reducing the carbon footprint associated with food waste.”

Accordingly, Ferjan Dubai will furnish informational content on the Food Bank’s initiatives, campaigns and programmes related to reducing food waste throughout Ramadan. It will include best practices to minimise food waste and enhance the efficient utilisation of food within households.

Ferjan Dubai connects thousands of residents across a number of neighbourhoods in Dubai. Besides its online and social media platforms, it also helps engage residents in a number of community activities, which will also help spread the word about the food waste campaign.