DUBAI
A government body representing businesses in the UAE food and beverage industry has announced that it is launching an initiative to begin reducing food wastage, with the food saved through this protocol going to the UAE Food Bank.
The Food and Beverage Manufacturing Business Group (FBMG), launched by the Dubai Chamber of Commerce, will begin implementing the FLW Protocol in the UAE immediately, the Group announced on the sidelines of Gulfood 2017.
FLW refers to the Food Loss and Waste Accounting and Reporting Standard (or FLW Standard), a global standard that provides requirements and guidance for quantifying and reporting on amount of inedible food removed from the supply chain, allowing governments to account for how much FLW is generated and where it goes.
The initiative saw FBMG cooperate with the Food Bank, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the Dubai Municipality, the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and all food manufactures in the UAE who have pledged to collaborate with the Group on this initiative, following directives from the country’s top leaders. It includes the creation of a food data platform — a tool to analyse available data to formulate solutions to reduce waste.
As it stands, the UAE is wasting $4 billion worth of food every year. With the F&B manufacturing market in the UAE slated to grow from $11.3 billion in 2015 to $13.2 billion in 2018 — and with Dubai set to become the capital of the Halal food economy — the FBMG is mobilising to address and contain food wastage, increasing food donations and reducing food prices in the process.
