Saudi Arabia accounts for 50pc of global food waste

Food waste amounts to an estimated 1.3 billion tonnes annually worldwide and Saudi Arabia ranks at the top globally, accounting for up to 50 per cent of the waste.

Chef Laila Fathalla, a United Nations Environment Programme advocate for reducing food waste, disclosed the information, according to Gulf News.

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 food wastage rate 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.

Saudi Arabia, a country of around 32.2 million people, hosts a large community of expat workers.

According to the 2021 Food Sustainability Index (FSI), conducted by Economist Impact with the support of the Barilla Foundation, the countries with the best performance in managing food loss and waste include Canada, Italy, Germany, Japan and the Netherlands.