Latest figures reveal that during the first two weeks of Ramadan around 20,000 meals, worth more than BD300,000, were donated to needy families and individuals in Bahrain.
The Conserving Bounties Society, which operates the Bahrain Food Bank (BFB) spearheaded the annual initiative, which began in 2014. Figures for the second half of the holy month will be released in the coming weeks.
The group’s chief executive Ahmed Al Kuwaiti believes that this campaign has helped significantly reduce the amount of food waste in the kingdom, subsequently leading to a decrease in the amount sent to landfill.
“We collected surplus food which had been deemed safe for consumption from supermarkets, hotels and restaurants and it was then distributed to a list of families that we support,” he said. “In the first half of this Ramadan, we managed to save around 20,000 meals, weighing 24,050kg. This resulted in a substantial savings of BD312,000.
“To reduce food wastage in Bahrain, a multi-disciplinary approach is required, which includes policy changes, raising awareness and community action.
“It is not just about one group or people working to collect waste, instead, it is about educating the entire country about how to avoid it.”
The GDN earlier reported that around 35 per cent of food purchased during the holy month gets thrown away – 146,000 tonnes of food was thrown away in Bahrain in 2020, costing the country BD94.9 million, according to the United Nations Environment Programme’s Food Waste Index.
Most food waste in Bahrain gets transported to the Hafeera landfill in Askar to be compacted and covered with sand to avoid vermin and insect infestations.
Mr Al Kuwaiti believes that education programmes should be introduced in schools to instil more responsible consumption habits from a young age.
“There are many ways we can teach children and adults to waste less food,” he said, adding that meal planning and portion control at home and in restaurants could be good places to start.
“Supermarkets and restaurants should be encouraged to offer ugly or imperfect produce at discounted prices to reduce waste, instead of just throwing the food away,” he suggested.
“The kingdom should also consider implementing more efficient food redistribution systems. We should also improve collaborations among food banks, charities and corporations when it comes to redistributing the food.”
Mr Al Kuwaiti suggested that Bahrain introduce mandatory waste sorting for households and businesses. “We should also provide incentives for businesses that compost waste,” he said, adding that food waste reduction laws should be passed.
“People should be penalised for excessive waste,” he added. “By combining education, regulation and community action, the kingdom can work to significantly reduce numbers and establish a more sustainable system.”
A UN report earlier revealed that Bahrainis waste the most food among Arabs, at an average of 132kg per capita.
In addition, the Conserving Bounties Society’s website claims that more than 400,000kg of food is wasted every day in Bahrain. This number increases to 600,000kg per day during Ramadan.
- The organisation is accepting donations at IBAN BH95-ABIB-0101-0214-1390-01. For more details, call 33499499.
julia@gdnmedia.bh
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