A recent study revealed shocking numbers of food waste and food losses in Saudi Arabia, which showed great leaps.
The study said that the amount of 40.4 billion riyals ($10.77 billion) is the cost of wasted annual production on the basis of consumer spending, in Saudi Arabia.
It also indicated that this waste amounts to about 4.06 million tons, at a rate of 33.1% annually, while the individual’s contribution is about 184 kilograms of wasted food.
The study, prepared by the Saudi Grains Organization, confirmed that the waste in vegetables exceeds 335,000 tons annually.
While zucchini waste amount to 38,000 tons, potatoes 201,000 tons, cucumbers 82,000 tons, onions 110,000 tons, and tomatoes 234,000 tons, according to the Al-Madina newspaper.
In a related context, the study showed that wastage and loss in flour and bread amounted to 917,000 tons annually, while 557,000 tons of rice and 22,000 tons of sheep meat were wasted.
In addition, 13,000 tons of camel meat, 41,000 tons of other meat, 444,000 tons of poultry meat, and 69,000 tons of fish are wasted annually.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia has launched several initiatives to preserve and make good use of its natural resources, including the “National Program for Reducing Food Loss and Waste.”
The Saudi Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture, Abdul Rahman bin Abdul Mohsen Al-Fadhli, said last August that the rate of food loss and waste in Saudi Arabia reaches more than 33%, while the cost of food waste is 40 billion riyals annually.
In a related context, the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture worked on an expanded campaign to reduce food waste and loss last April, under the slogan “not enough better than too much.”
Earlier, the Ministry of Environment said that the annual amount of food waste in Saudi Arabia amounted to about four million and 66 thousand tons.
The total value of waste in the expenditure consumption item in the Kingdom, according to the ministry, is close to 40 billion and 480 million riyals ($10.8 billion) annually, while the percentage of food wasted exceeds 18% of the Kingdom’s consumption.
