Food Waste in the Gulf States

Photo: Khloe Arledge

According to the UN Environment Program, global food waste is the third-largest greenhouse gas emitter, just behind China and the US. Food waste today generates 8-10% of global greenhouse gas emissions, directly adding to the issue of climate change.

Apart from leftover food emitting methane, this takes into account the energy used for growing, processing, packaging, and transporting food products for a global market. Consequently, food waste and food systems are among the most important challenges discussed at this year's UN Climate Change Conference, COP28 in the UAE.

Some 1.3 billion tons of edible food are being thrown away every year, due to inefficient production methods and limited access to technology (food loss) on the one hand, and wasteful consumer habits (food waste) on the other. In the GCC, food amounting to 10 million tons is wasted every year.

For the fast-paced Gulf states, Dr. Frank Himpel, highlights a possibly less considered aspect:

"Food waste is a severe problem all over the world, but it gets more complex in the GCC states that have large expat populations of up to 90%. A sizeable part of these foreigners typically leaves their resident countries in the Gulf during the hot Summer months.

Any excess build-up of food production capacity needs to either scale down in Summer, or find replacement through so-called 'bumper products,' food products that are processed to provide a longer shelf life, e.g. cheese instead of fresh milk and so on. This approach however solves only part of the problem.

GCC countries have growingly become independent from imports and even beyond self-sufficient in many food product categories, dairy being just one example. Additional solutions to the build-up of food excess, may be to increase commercial exports, and/or provide more free products to regions in need."

InStrat’s Khristo Ayad considers a lack of awareness to be central for the Gulf:

"In the modern, most visited Gulf hubs, a common, somewhat surprising misconception has developed. Especially during festive seasons, visitors and expatriates, but growingly also young Arabs, would unwittingly qualify the numerous buffets with their overabundance of food as a mere reflection of Arab hospitality and generosity.

That is not entirely correct and mostly owed to a diligent marketing machinery and its glossy publications, that, particularly in the hospitality sector, work tenaciously to attract tourists to an image of luxury and tales of 1001 nights.

Yes, hospitality and generosity, especially offering food and water, are deeply rooted in Arab and Islamic culture. Today’s consumerist indulgence however stands in stark contrast to what these traditions were meant for, the ability to survive in the harsh climatic and topographic conditions of the region, and the equally important Islamic virtues of humbleness and self restraint.

The region can of course not be compared to the past. Also, the composition of society is different. Rapidly risen living standards, enormously commercial urban settings, and a relatively affluent population define how people think, or perhaps better, don’t think, about consumerism and wastage. The challenge therefore is also one of exercising more value-driven communication and cultivating a sense for the issue, not just among those who buy, but also those who sell."