The UAE is taking decisive steps towards a more sustainable future, aiming to halve food loss and waste by 2030, in alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12.3. Spearheaded by ne’ma, the UAE’s National Food Loss and Waste Initiative, this effort transforms the country’s food systems by tackling food waste and shifting consumption patterns. With food waste accounting for 38% of all food prepared in the UAE, costing the nation around $1.6 billion annually, urgent action is necessary.
Central to this initiative is the strategic partnership between ne’ma and ADQ, a leading investor in the UAE’s food and agriculture sector. This collaboration targets food loss across the entire supply chain—from production to consumption—while promoting responsible consumption habits. ADQ is leveraging its food production and distribution assets, such as Agthia Group and Silal, to implement sustainable practices, close supply chain gaps, and drive investment in agricultural technologies.
Mansour AlMulla, Deputy Group Chief Executive Officer at ADQ, stated, "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.”
Ne’ma provides critical data to ADQ, identifying food waste hotspots and enabling targeted solutions. The partnership strengthens food security and sustainability across the UAE by addressing these challenges.
Khuloud Al Nuwais, Secretary General of the ne’ma Committee, emphasized, "Public-private collaboration is key to meeting the UAE’s goal of halving food loss and waste by 2030.”
According to the United Nations, approximately 13% of food is lost between harvest and retail, while 19% is wasted at the consumption level (retail, food services, and household). Food loss and waste account for 8 to 10% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions.
