Saudi Arabia accounts for half of annual global food waste: Report

Saudi Arabia wastes 50 per cent of an estimated 1.3 billion tonnes of food wasted across the world, according to a report by Gulf News citing Chef Laila Fathalla, a United Nations Environment Programme advocate for reducing food waste.

Saudi Arabia’s food wastage

According to the United Nations Food Waste Programme, the kingdom tops the list of countries which contribute the most to food waste every year, accounting for up to 50 per cent of the waste.

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WATCH |Saudi Arabia accounts for nearly half of world's annual food wastage

Saudi Minister of Environment, Water, and Agriculture, Abdul Rahman bin Abdul Mohsen Al Fadhli confirmed the UN’s findings while acknowledging the cost of food wastage.

According to the report, wasting food costs the kingdom SR40 billion ($10.6 billion) every year. The rate of food wastage exceeds 33 per cent, said the Saudi minister, referring to the data from the study conducted by the National Programme to Reduce Food Loss and Waste.

The country’s General Food Security Authority (GFSA) following the report’s release in October last year initiated a comprehensive awareness campaign to highlight the importance of food security and encourage responsible consumption practices, reported Gulf News.

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A study by the Saudi Grains Organisation (Sago) last year found that 4.06 million tonnes of food is wasted each year, with an average individual contribution of about 184 kgof food waste.

The nationwide study also found that vegetable waste alone exceeds 335,000 tonnes annually.

The nation of around 32.2 million people also wastes hundreds of thousands of tonnes of staple foods, including 917,000 tonnes of flour and bread and 557,000 tonnes of rice.

Fathalla has called for a collective effort to foster a culture of moderation and reduce waste in the country to combat the food waste crisis.

She also suggested a number of pragmatic measures including cooking food in quantities that meet a family’s needs, being mindful when buying food, and donating extra food.

What is food 'wastage'?

Food “wastage” refers to any food lost by deterioration or waste and encompasses both food “loss” and food “waste,” according to the UN Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO).

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Every year, a staggering 1.6 billion tonnes of food is wasted across the world out of which, 1.3 billion tonnes is edible, according to the FAO.

This amount of food wastage also reportedly costs the world at least $750 billion annually.

(With inputs from agencies)