The national food loss and waste reduction initiative, ne’ma, has successfully concluded its impactful Ramadan 2025 campaign, Valuing the Blessing, reaffirming the UAE’s commitment to halving food waste by 2030.
Partnering with government bodies, private sector entities, and more than 1,300 volunteers, ne’ma led a countrywide effort to rescue high-quality surplus food and redistribute it to those in need. The campaign’s flagship initiatives—Family Iftar Box, Community Fridges, and One Million Surplus Meals—combined generosity with sustainability, significantly reducing edible food waste during the holy month.
The Family Iftar Box programme alone rescued 250,000kg of surplus food and delivered weekly boxes to over 8,800 low-income families across six emirates. The initiative also averted approximately 630,000kg of CO₂ emissions and converted 4,000kg of inedible waste into compost for local agriculture.
Meanwhile, the Community Fridges programme reused over 26,000 untouched Iftar meals—equivalent to 10,400kg of food—preventing an additional 26,500kg of CO₂ emissions, with support from 37 hotels and hospitality partners in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
Khuloud Hassan Al Nuwais, Chief Sustainability Officer at Emirates Foundation, credited the programme’s success to strong cross-sector collaboration, calling for year-round commitment to food rescue.
“This Ramadan has shown what’s possible through unity,”
she said,
“but lasting impact comes when these values become everyday practices.”
Backed by over 23 partners and thousands of volunteer hours, ne’ma’s efforts not only brought relief to vulnerable communities but also advanced the UAE’s broader sustainability agenda—proving that mindful consumption and community action can go hand-in-hand.
News Source: Emirates News Agency
