UAE grocery bills rising? Your food waste could be costing you hundreds of dirhams– here’s how to cut costs

Our watermelon was the first casualty.

It was a big one, picked out carefully at the supermarket and carried home with every intention of eating it soon. Then we forgot about it, and by the time we remembered, it had started to turn.

The cucumbers, at Dh7 a box, suffered a similar fate. Despite our best efforts, a week after buying them we were throwing some of those away too.

The lessons have piled up over the past few years, and most come back to one rule: buy only what we're sure we will eat. Food doesn't have to waste away on the counter or at the back of the fridge.

We're hardly alone. Ask most families what they spend on groceries and they’ll give you a figure. Ask what they throw away and you’re more likely to get a blank look – the same one we would have given.

But take a casual look around even a neighbourhood grocery store and the numbers are suddenly easier to see. A 2-litre bottle of Almarai full-fat milk costs Dh12.99, while a bunch of Philippine bananas can set you back around Dh8.50. Throw away half the milk before it expires, or let those bananas go brown on the counter, and the question becomes: how much of your grocery bill are you throwing away?

As Majid AlSuwaidi, Director of Community at Sharjah Sustainable City, points out, is exactly the problem. "Food waste rarely happens in one big moment. It is half a bag of spinach at the back of the fridge, or rice that was cooked for four when only two sat down to eat. Because it happens a little at a time, it does not register as spending."

Ne'ma, the UAE's National Food Loss and Waste Initiative, frames it in starker terms: "Every item we discard carries an invisible invoice."

That invoice, the initiative notes, is itemised long before the food reaches the plate, covering water to grow it, fuel to transport it, energy to refrigerate it, and the labour of farmers, drivers, warehouse workers and retail staff who kept it moving. When we throw food away, we throw all of that away too.

It's a sobering thought. The good news is that it doesn't have to be this way.

Those cucumbers don't need to go waste.

So how large is the bill? The starting point is sobering. “UNEP’s Food Waste Index puts UAE household food waste at around 95 kg per person per year,” says AlSuwaidi, “So for a family of four that is a considerable amount of food, and money, going straight into the bin.”

The numbers bear this out. According to the UN Environment Programme's Food Waste Index Report 2024, households around the world threw away the equivalent of more than a billion meals a day in 2022, or roughly 79kg of food per person over the year. Climate plays a part too: The report found that households in hotter countries tend to waste more per person, a finding that hits close to home in the UAE.

Translated into dirhams, individual estimates suggest the cost can quickly add up. Raham Sithara Bai, chef, author and MD of Grillstone FZC, puts it plainly: “In my opinion, the average household loses at least Dh500 a month to food waste, and it can easily go over Dh1,000.”

Dubai resident Anu Ganesan, who has made reducing waste a personal mission, estimates that the loss can be higher still: “The average financial loss per household in Dubai can be between Dh200 and Dh300 per week.”

That weekly estimate works out to roughly Dh870 to Dh1,300 a month, illustrating just how widely the financial impact can vary depending on household size, shopping habits and how much food is wasted.

Pallavi Santhapuram of The Eco Loop, Dubai sees the same blind spot. As she says, while discarding unused groceries does seem minor, it still adds up to substantial household expense and carries a high environmental cost. "We are already exceeding planetary boundaries, meaning the Earth cannot sustain resource production at our current rate of consumption.”

If the totals are hard to see, the leaks themselves are surprisingly easy to spot once you start looking. The shopping basket gives the first clue: In everyday shopping, it is mostly dairy, milk and other dairy products, bread and breakfast items.

The kitchen adds more, as salads and meat are often made in larger amounts than needed, and the leftovers usually go straight into the bin, Sitara Bai notes.

And parents will recognise this one: “Children’s school lunchboxes are another big one: much of that food comes back uneaten and ends up in the bin as well.”

In a vegetarian household, the pattern shifts but the cost does not. “As a vegetarian, I cannot comment on how much meat is wasted,” says Ganesan, “But, in my home, fresh produce is usually the main culprit.”

Often, the waste begins with what looks like a bargain. “In my personal experience, bulk buying perishable items, even at a discount, almost always leads to waste due to spoilage,” says Santhapuram.

As she warns, don't let the discounts tempt you. Take advantage of the offers for items that you use frequently.

Pantry staples are a different story. Dry essentials can be bought in bulk, provided they are stored in airtight containers in a cool place. Furthermore, you need to take into account what happens, once the shopping is unpacked. Storage plays a bigger role than people think as well, as AlSuwaidi notes.

He adds, “Many residents we speak to did not realise, for example, that some fruits make vegetables stored next to them ripen faster, or that ‘best before’ does not mean the food is unsafe the day after.”

Modern routines make all of this harder to notice. As Ne’ma observes, “We may buy more than we need because it is convenient or we forget what is already at home because daily routines become busier. While these behaviors are often unintentional, their impact remains significant.”

The environmental case against food waste has been made for years. What has changed, everyone we spoke to agrees, is the price at the till. “Food waste is not only an environmental issue,” ne’ma notes. “It is also money leaving the house every week.”

Ganesan has heard the shift in conversation first-hand. “Over the last few months, as food prices have risen, I have heard people talking about food waste for the first time. The price hikes have been steep enough to be noticeable.”

In her view, that makes now the moment to act, and framing is everything: “When it is approached purely as an environmental issue, people can be dismissive or reluctant to change. But when we frame it as money saved—up to Dh1,500 a month on average, people are more likely to take notice and make changes.”

Ganesan estimates that households could potentially save up to Dh1,500 a month, though this is an individual estimate rather than a UAE-wide benchmark.

Yet, it is human nature for people to think about themselves first, as Sithara Bai explains. What they do notice is the cost, because that is visible to them. So talking about savings is the most direct way to get people to act.”

The logic is almost arithmetic as they note: When food is thrown away, the household has paid for it once at the supermarket and gets nothing back. For many families, cutting waste is the easiest way to lower the grocery bill without eating any differently.

The reassuring part is that none of the fixes calls for a new kitchen or a new diet. Ne’ma sums it up: “Reducing food waste does not require deprivation or complicated systems.”

Some of the most effective changes happen at the stove. “Cook a little less,” advises Sithara Bai. “A family of four does not always need eight pieces of chicken; seven is often enough. If someone wants more, they can add an egg instead.”

The same discipline applies before the shopping trip: “Decide how much you will spend on food each month. Before shopping, check what is already in your kitchen and storage. If you already have salt, there is no need to buy it again," she says.

Or, you can move older items to the front of the fridge and cupboards so they get used first. And decide what happens to leftovers before you cook, whether that is tomorrow’s lunch or a portion in the freezer, says AlSuwaidi.

The effort involved is minimal, he adds: “None of these takes more than a few minutes, and most families notice the difference within a few weeks.”

Cooking in batches

The freezer is Santhapuram’s secret weapon. She cooks in batches and freezes different dishes, which saves time and money, preserving nutrients. It respects the environment and prevents waste. Timing is crucial too: She purchases ingredients just a day before batch cooking to ensure maximum freshness before freezing.

The discipline didn't click overnight, as she says. "I often found that unexpected daily events disrupted my plans, and through trial and error, I discovered that batch cooking and freezing works best for my work and family commitments.”

For smaller kitchens, she offers an alternative: “If freezer space is limited, the best approach is to plan weekly meals and buy only what is necessary.”

And what cannot be eaten need not be wasted. Ganesan recommends learning to use leftovers creatively: finding ways to repurpose and finish the food we cook, and has taken things a step further at home. “I have been composting on my balcony, using all the food scraps my household produces.”

A compost bin on one balcony is a start. But food-waste habits stick best when they are easy to follow and shared by the people around us.

Asked to name the single habit that would make the biggest difference, AlSuwaidi says, “Planning meals for the week. Most waste starts in the supermarket aisle rather than the kitchen, so if families only buy what they intend to cook, a lot of the problem never materialises.”

Santhapuram agrees, adding that a plan keeps the trolley in check: “Planning meals also helps you create a structured grocery list, keeping you disciplined and preventing impulse purchases.”

Sithara Bai’s answer is about finishing what is on the table. “The aim is to finish whatever is cooked for the day, and to set that example for your children.”

She knows how hard that can be. “As a chef and author, I take this seriously, but I am human too, and I sometimes waste food myself. It is something I am always working to control.”

For Ganesan, food is only the beginning. “The one habit that will make the biggest impact is conscious consumption—not only with food, but in every aspect of life. Buy only what you need, and think twice before bringing anything into the house.”

No single kitchen will fix the problem alone, but as ne’ma points out, “Even small behavioural changes can make a meaningful difference when repeated consistently across households and communities.” And the reward, Ganesan believes, goes beyond the monthly statement. “If you take care of what you have, it will save you money—and bring a sense of joy, satisfaction, and purpose in the process.”