Food wastage in Oman costs Dh429m each year

MUSCAT // Ahmed Al Fraish shakes his head as he sees another bin brimming with leftover food in the Omani capital.

The Muscat municipality rubbish collector estimates that he picks up about two tonnes of food waste every month.

His 25-km route in west Muscat each morning takes him to three 5-star hotels and the homes of wealthy businessmen and senior government officials.

The waste is something Mr Al Fraish feels very strongly about, as do charity organisations who say there are tens of thousands of people who need help feeding their families.

“The food they throw away would definitely feed hundreds of poor people every month,” said Mr Al Fraish, 33. “I have this unenviable job of disposing of it every morning. It is haram in any religion ... to waste food that could have been distributed to those who need it.”

Catering companies and hotels in Oman throw away food worth 45 million Omani rials (Dh429m) every year, according to Kassim Al Musharfi, an executive committee member of Waste Disposal Organisation, a watchdog for waste recycling.

“This is a crime and the biggest offenders are hotels and restaurants – all uneaten food ends up in the rubbish bins,” said Mr Al Musharfi.

“The second offenders are the supermarkets which throw out food that go past their shelf date. Here in Oman, we have many poor people living in borderline poverty outside Muscat and nobody cares about them.”

Food wastage is a serious concern in the GCC, with the problem exacerbating during Ramadan, weddings or major celebrations.

Saudi Arabia wastes nearly 50 billion Saudi riyals (Dh48.9bn) of food each year, its minister of agriculture said in January last year, while the UAE incurs a loss of Dh13 billion in food waste each year.

The kingdom discards about 30 per cent of the 4 million dishes prepared each day during Ramadan, which costs 1.2bn Saudi riyals per day, according to a study by King Saud University.

In an effort to reduce food waste, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, the Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, launched the UAE Food Bank in January. The charitable organisation will distribute food to the needy in the UAE and the region, and aims to become the first city in the region to achieve zero food waste.

Omani hotels say they are forced to throw away leftovers because of health regulations.

“The government’s regulations say that we cannot keep cooked food and serve it the next day. We have weddings, functions and events many times a month and only half of the banquets we prepare are eaten. The rest ends up in the skip,” said a spokesman of the Muscat Intercontinental Hotel.

A spokesman for Muscat municipality said hotels were allowed to give uneaten food away on the same day while it was still fresh.

Charity organisations say more than 30,000 people listed on their books are unable to earn enough to feed their families. They receive food donated by the local community that is delivered to their homes on a regular basis.

“It is such a shame that tonnes of food is wasted when thousands need it. We know about it because we have them on our charity list. The rich waste so much while the poor half-starve. It is not fair at all,” said a spokesman for Dar Al Atta, a charity organisation in Oman.

“We will be happy to collect the leftovers and distribute to the poor provided Muscat municipality gives us the go-ahead and the hotels or the catering industries have no objection,” he said.