Today's Edition
ABU DHABI (ALETIHAD)
The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) has signed an agreement with ne’ma – the National Food Loss and Waste Initiative to promote responsible consumption across the tourism and hospitality sectors, reflecting its commitment to supporting sustainability across the emirate’s tourism, hospitality and events sectors.
The agreement was signed by His Excellency Saleh Mohammed Al Geziry, Director General for Tourism at DCT Abu Dhabi, and Khuloud Hasan Al Nuwais, Chief Sustainability Officer of Emirates Foundation and Secretary-General of the ne’ma National Steering Committee.
The national food loss and waste initiative is at the core of the UAE’s efforts to ensure food security and address climate change, and this collaboration aims to drive transformative change in the travel and hospitality sectors, contributing to the National Food Security Strategy 2051 and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 12.3, aiming to reduce food loss and waste in the UAE by 50 percent by 2030.
His Excellency Saleh Mohammed Al Geziry, said: "As Abu Dhabi continues to grow as a leading global destination, it is essential that we advance our commitment to sustainable development, establishing our emirate as a responsible hub for tourism and events. The partnership with ne'ma sets out a roadmap for meaningful action to reduce food loss and waste while creating awareness among travellers and stakeholders about responsible consumption.”
As part of the agreement, DCT Abu Dhabi will encourage restaurants, hotels, and tourism establishments, to adopt sustainable practices such as portion control, menu optimisation, and creative use of surplus food; and develop educational campaigns for tourists and residents to highlight the environmental impact of food waste and the importance of responsible consumption.
Khuloud Hasan Al Nuwais, said: “The MoU with DCT Abu Dhabi marks an important step toward promoting sustainable practices within the UAE’s hospitality and tourism sectors. Through this collaboration, ne’ma will work with hotels, restaurants and tourism establishments to adopt key food waste reduction initiatives such as portion control, menu optimisation, and the innovative use of surplus food. ne’ma will also spearhead educational campaigns that engage both residents and tourists, emphasising the environmental impact of food waste and the importance of mindful, responsible consumption.”
DCT Abu Dhabi will also facilitate the redistribution of surplus food to charitable organisations, food banks, or for composting, in collaboration with stakeholders across the value chain; collect data on food waste within the tourism sector to identify trends, hotspots, and areas for improvement, thereby informing future strategies; and promote broader sustainability initiatives, including reducing single-use plastics, supporting local food producers, and minimising transportation-related emissions.
DCT Abu Dhabi partnered with ne’ma for its inaugural Retrofit Summit to support the objective of reducing the event’s carbon emissions by taking actions to minimise food waste and improve food related operational efficiency. As a result of this partnership, 89 kgs of food waste from the event was diverted from landfill with 17.8 kgs of compost created to support local farmers.
Abu Dhabi Convention and Exhibition Bureau (ADCEB) also collaborated with ne’ma at the ICCA Congress where key elements of ne’ma’s Zero Food to Landfill framework were adopted to ensure sustainable operations, raising awareness amongst delegates, reducing food waste.
