Although Ramadan is generally considered to be a month of self-restraint and doing without, it is often marked in Qatar and other Gulf countries with lavish hotel buffets and home dinner parties.
The result is that a quarter of all food prepared in Qatar during this month is wasted, according to EcoMena, an organization that tries to foster environmental awareness across the region.
In general, about half of the waste sitting in Qatar’s landfills is food, an EcoMena official told Doha News.
Qatar has long struggled to dispose of this and other types of waste in sustainable ways. The country currently only recycles less than 10 percent of its waste, though efforts are underway to increase that number.
Environmental activist say tackling Qatar’s food waste problem will require helping people to understand the damage caused by throwing out perfectly edible food, and improving institutional efforts to rescue this food and distribute it to those who need it.
Thoughts?
The leftovers from Ramadan iftars at hotels should be distributed to those in need… God knows how many people in Qatar cannot afford proper food.
This is so frustrating. The land of extreme wealth, extreme waste, and extreme poverty.
I think there are a lot of countries across the world guilty of this. As MIMH said its more a matter of food distribution.
Actually it is a problem in many developed countries. Half the world is starving and half is throwing food away.
We don’t have a food shortage problem in the world, we have a food distribution problem.
Like many, I despise seeing food leftovers, whether it’s during Ramadan, wedding parties or any occasions that would require that much food.
I want to point out for reference that there has been an initiative going for years now called “حفظ النعمة” “Hifz Alnaama” which could translate to, what god graced us with in life -food, money, well-being, peace etc- . I believe it was started by Sheikh Eid Charitable Association. It’s basically a service that requires you to call and provide them with some information like your location and so on. An automobile with a representative will come to pick up the food leftovers on the same day/night and have them sent to poor and needing families/individuals. Doha News could look that up and add it somewhere to benefit others 🙂
Their hotline is : 55711910 OR 66665121.
This is the project explained in Arabic:
http://eidcharity.info/site/index.php?page=article&id=514
Hope this helps 😀
That’s great! Thanks for sharing!
NBM- I love the concept behind this charitable organization, I also hate the thought of wasted food and the thought that so many go hungry.
Just from a practical standpoint though, how does this tie in to the new stricter Qatar Food Laws and increased punishments that were recently announced?
Let’s pretend I just had a wedding and I donated my leftovers to this organization, and people became ill, would I be liable?
Thank you for this. Will keep this number.
Whenever we have food left over at a house party we make up plates for the security guards on our compound. I freeze as much as possible as I hate waste.
most ppl I know call حفظ النعمة (save the grace) hhhh. once your done eating after any gathering just give them a call on their hotline: 55711910 and they’ll come and pick whatever still good to eat and distribute it!~
I recommend a big farm filled with omnivorous animals…if only I could think of any… 🙂
Not only will it reduce waste, but it would create enough livestock to feed a small country.
Might be worth looking into it.
Wasting food is also a sin.