Food for thought with UAE’s unique project for poor

Waste not, want not. Cliched, some might say in derision, but we could not resist using this one. Food for thought. Nice to hear but hard to practise in an age of copious consumption when temptations abound. Excess defines many people not only when it comes to food. Just because we can afford it doesn’t mean we should buy the best food and then discard it. Many of our gastronomic proclivities are not only unhealthy for us, they are also driving millions of people around the world to poverty. The numbers are shocking. One-third of all food produced globally, which is worth $1 trillion, is wasted. Now to calories. One in four calories meant for human consumption is never actually eaten, says a UN and World Food Institute report. This is criminal and immoral. We should be hanging our heads in shame. We are not finished. People in developed countries “waste almost as much food as the entire net food production of sub-Saharan Africa (222 million vs. 230 million tonnes)”, says the UN. Did you know that 795 million people are undernourished?

In the UAE, $4billion worth of food is dumped in garbage fills. That’s a shocking figure and the government wanted to do something about it through the UAE Food Bank, a project launched by His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, in January. The first of the food banks opened in Dubai on Wednesday, and the speed of implementation of the project proves the government is keen to make a difference to the poor during this Year of Giving. Individuals and institutions are involved in the initiative to feed the hungry millions. The UAE Food Bank is different because it’s a community project where everyone is making a contribution. This is not about charity but about keeping a check on our consumption patterns and creating a mechanism to save excess food. The government has taken the lead, it’s time we play our part. Who said less is not enough?