Need to reduce food waste: Experts

Experts have scratched their heads to find ways to utilize the surplus food left by Saudis, which usually ends up in the garbage can. One suggestion is that the charity organizations can collect leftover food to distribute to the poor.
At a time when experts estimate there are over 870 million hungry people in the world, 1.3 billion tons of food are dumped in the garbage, as a result of lack of awareness campaigns on the issue.
According to latest studies, Saudi Arabia is in the forefront of food consumption in the region, accounting for 60 percent of the total consumption. The entire Gulf region has the highest annual consumption rate with 3.1 percent of the total food, achieving the dubious title of being one of the world’s most wasteful areas when it comes to food.
The Gulf’s consumption rate is expected to reach 49.1 million metric tons. Food products account for 35 percent of the domestic garbage with 13 million tons of food thrown to garbage boxes in the Kingdom. It is also estimated that 4 million meals are thrown away in the Eastern Province daily, according to Khaled Al-Khan of Etaam, a food bank.
“Most of the food waste comes from hotels and wedding halls while the Itaam society receives and sorts surplus food and packs them in special packages to distribute to 5,000 poor families. A branch of the society has been opened in Riyadh where 12,000 meals are being wasted daily. Shortly branches will be opened in Qatif and its suburbs,” Khan said.
Economist Fadal Al-Buainain also concurs that food waste is a problem in the country. “A Saudi individual consumes food that far exceeds his needs, which leads to wasting more than 50 percent of it. The waste of food associated with public events goes beyond 70 percent. All of this causes a drain on an individual’s budget that can be spared if we rationalize our food consumption,” he stated.
If Saudis reduce this waste by 30 percent, it would contribute significantly to bring down food prices at least by 15 percent, economists concurred. Some restrictions on the purchase of perishables such as fruits and vegetables including tomatoes to the daily needs, would bring down the prices of such items by 50 percent, Al-Buainain said, because the law of supply and demand determines the market prices.
Al-Buainain believes that high consumption is a factor that adversely affects the economy which primarily hinges on saving. Unfortunately Saudis do not cultivate a culture of saving but prefer to borrow from banks for their consumer needs, he added.
Most of the families in the limited income bracket prefer fast food, which has a price tag of SR100 per meal. If a family buys one such meal a day the monthly bill for it adds up to SR3,000. If instead of fast food, the family buys it at a market they will spend two thirds of that amount and will have enough food without any waste.
Khaled Thumairi, consultant dietician at Abha Hospital, said an individual must make a good choice of what he needs and change some wrong eating habits, including open buffets that prompt one to take more than he needs, thus resulting in a waste of a good amount of food.
He also warned about the rising rate of diseases related to overeating such as obesity, diabetes and high cholesterol and blood pressure.
Jaber Al-Shehri, undersecretary for marine resources at the Ministry of Agriculture, said Saudi consumption habit is based on showing off and extravagance especially at wedding and other occasions.
“The extravagance is unjustifiable and damaging to the economy and the food safety,” he warned.
He said a committee has been set up to study how to curb food waste, as it has been reported that 35 percent of the garbage is constituted by food material in the Kingdom.