ADQ, an Abu Dhabi-based investment and holding company, has signed a multi-year partnership agreement with ne’ma to reduce food loss and waste (FLW) in the UAE.
ne’ma is the UAE’s National Food Loss and Waste Initiative, a collaboration between the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment and the Emirates Foundation.
The UN estimates that, globally, 13 per cent of food is lost between harvest and retail, while an additional 19 per cent is wasted at the consumption level (across retail, food services and household). Together, this food loss and waste account for 8 to 10 per cent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions.
Regionally, the UAE is grappling with high FLW, with almost 40 per cent (38 per cent) of prepared food wasted at a cost of 6 billion AED.
The UAE is aiming to halve its food loss and waste by 2030 and launched the ne’ma Food Loss and Waste Reduction Roadmap last year to facilitate this.
ADQ and ne’ma shared that as part of the agreement, the two will explore the development of joint initiatives, alongside collaboration opportunities with third parties, to reduce food loss across the entire value chain, from production to consumption, and promote responsible consumption habits.
ne’ma will also provide ADQ with data identifying food loss hotspots and systemic gaps to address challenges and find solutions.
Khuloud Al Nuwais, Chief Sustainability Officer of the Emirates Foundation and Secretary General of the ne’ma Committee said that the partnership underscores the “critical role” of public-private sector collaboration in meeting the UAE’s food loss and waste reduction goal.
“Through these partnerships, we are harnessing the most innovative solutions to transform our food systems, ensuring that safeguarding our food resources is at the core of our national food security strategy. By joining hands, we maximize our efforts and create lasting impacts for our communities and our planet,” added Al Nuwais.
Mansour AlMulla, Deputy Group Chief Executive Officer at ADQ, commented: “As a major investor in the local food and agriculture sector, we believe it is critical to ensure that enabling and upscaling the production of adequate, affordable and nutritious food goes alongside the preservation of food as a precious natural resource.
“Our partnership with ne’ma reflects our dedication to ensuring that the remarkable activities that ne’ma has brought underway in the past two years receive the attention and community support they need to initiate lasting, fundamental change of the food system here in the UAE.”
