AMEINAH ALZEYOUDI (ABU DHABI)
With more UAE households opting for a greener lifestyle, a new Ramadan custom is taking root - conserving food and cutting waste to zero.
Amid iftar banquets and social gatherings, saving food has become a way to turn routine kitchen tasks into acts of kindness. Across the UAE, some families are carefully storing extra meals to share with people in their circles and communities, rather than discarding them.
The Al Mansouri family in Abu Dhabi first adopted the idea after noticing how much food was left over after large family gatherings. They began packaging the extra meals so they could be shared with people in their area and others who might need them.
Umm Sultan Al Mansouri said the practice soon became a family ritual. "After gatherings, we realised that a lot of perfectly good food was being thrown away," she told Aletihad.
"Now, we separate the food into containers, properly preserve it, and share it with workers in the area or anyone who might need a hot meal."
She also gets her children are involved, hoping to teach them that food is a blessing. "They gain responsibility and empathy by helping with meal preparation and distribution," she said.
In the home of Umm Mohammad Alhousani, a similar practice takes place after the family's weekly iftar gatherings. Surplus food is routinely stored and shared with nearby construction workers.
Umm Mohammad considers food waste "a serious issue" and believes the practice allows families to support both the community and the environment.
"Instead of discarding leftovers, we store them securely and provide them to employees who might not always have access to home-cooked meals," she told Aletihad.
The initiative has created a ripple effect in the neighbourhood, inspiring others to do the same.
"People want to help too because they realise the impact," she said.
"Together, we can help more individuals because some families provide additional meals or fruits."