Think about the underprivileged families before wasting food

Dana Charkaoui, a 25-year-old Lebanese TV producer, shares her thoughts on the habit of food wastage in the Gulf region and hopes that people will keep in mind underprivileged families around the world who cannot afford preparing enough food for iftar.

“Food wastage is and has always been a problem, whether at our house or in any house in the Gulf area. The amount of food that is prepared for the meal of the day isn’t fully consumed by the people who are eating the meal.

“Throughout the past five years, I must admit that food has been wasted in high amounts during Ramadan because my family members and I always cook more than we should and feel that we will consume lots of food at iftar. Most people don’t realise that the food they eat regularly for lunch is way more than they can eat after many hours of fasting throughout the day.”

“This Ramadan we have been trying to decrease the amount of food we prepare. My mum prepares food that will have no leftovers. I am already conscious of food wastage; hence, we estimate how much food we’re able to consume to know how much food we should prepare every day.

“My message to people who have the habit of wasting food is to be extra careful when preparing food for their families and to take into consideration underprivileged people who only have a small portion to prepare and feed their entire family.

“The food we are wasting could feed a starving child, man, woman, or an entire family.”