Understanding and addressing waste of food in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Abstract

IntroductionMultiple estimates suggest the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) may have one of the highest rates of wasted food globally. The KSA has limited arable lands and scarce water and thus relies on extensive imports and food subsidies to meet food demand. Accordingly, waste and loss of food are a significant concern for food security.Materials and methodsA narrative literature review was performed to identify the available information relevant to characterizing the context, magnitude of food wasted in the KSA, key contributing factors, and existing interventions and recommendations.ResultsEstimates of annual per capita waste of food ranged from 165 kg to 511 kg. Given the country's relatively limited agricultural production, the consumer and retail levels are primary targets for intervention. Key contributors to waste include culture, food valuation, policy and industry factors, and awareness and concern. The country is at an early stage of developing responses. We build upon existing approaches and recommendations, with particular emphasis on the potential role of agricultural extension staff in addressing the issue, and highlight research needs.ConclusionsGiven the potentially exceptional levels of wasted food in the KSA and the extensive evidence gaps, there is a great need for further research and action. Our review and synthesis presents numerous opportunities to advance innovative waste reduction approaches in the country, with particular relevance for other parts of the Middle East and other areas early in their efforts to address waste of food.

Food Waste in the Countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council: A Systematic Review

“…The initial search yielded 55 documents. A further 19 articles were added from some recent reviews on food waste in the NENA region [45,46,61,62]. The number of documents left after removing duplicates was 67.…”

“…Most likely, it is for the awareness of the lack of data and studies on this issue that the Regional Strategic Framework on 'Reducing Food Losses and Waste in the Near East and North Africa Region' devoted one out of its four components to 'Data gathering, analytical research, and knowledge generation' (p. 4,5) [43]. The need for further research on food wastage issue in the region was also highlighted by many scholars [40,41,45,46].…”

“…Baig et al [46] argue that the "key contributors to waste include culture, food valuation, policy and industry factors, and awareness" (p. 1633) in Saudi Arabia. Likewise, Baig et al [61] suggest that "the factors responsible for food waste include: lack of awareness; insufficient and inappropriate planning when shopping.…”

“…However, many studies show that the countries of the GCC are amidst the top world food wasters. Baig et al [46] point out that the KSA might have one of the highest rates of food waste in the world and put that "estimates of annual per capita waste of food ranged from 165 kg to 511 kg" (p. 1633). Meanwhile, referring to data from the Food Sustainability Index [130], Baig et al [61] argue that "with 427 kg of food wasted per capita per year, the country ranks among the top food wasters" (p. 1743).…”

“…Food waste is a serious issue also in the NENA (Near East and North Africa) region [40][41][42][43][44][45][46]. FAO [2] estimates that about 34% of food is lost or wasted across the region.…”