Saudi Arabia accounts for 50% of global food waste, United Nations data shows

Saudi Arabia accounts for 50% of global food waste, United Nations data shows

Dubai: Chef Laila Fathalla, a United Nations Environment Programme advocate for reducing food waste, has disclosed that food waste amounts to an estimated 1.3 billion tonnes annually worldwide.

According to the United Nations Food Waste Programme, Saudi Arabia ranks at the top globally, accounting for up to 50 per cent of the waste.

Abdul Rahman bin Abdul Mohsen Al Fadhli, Saudi Minister of Environment, Water, and Agriculture, affirmed these findings, acknowledging the grave cost of food waste to the Kingdom at SR40 billion annually. He highlighted that the rate of food wastage exceeds 33 per cent, a statistic that underscores the need for immediate and concerted efforts to tackle this issue.

A study by the Saudi Grains Organisation (Sago) last year highlighted the financial impact of food wastage in the Kingdom, amounting to SR40.4 billion annually based on consumer spending.

The study found that 4.06 million tonnes of food, or 33.1 per cent of targeted commodities, are wasted each year, with an average individual contribution of about 184 kilos of food waste.

The research, covering all regions of the kingdom, showed that vegetable waste alone exceeds 335,000 tonnes annually. Specifically, waste tallies include 38,000 tonnes of zucchini, 201,000 tonnes of