Ministry of Economy and Tourism strengthens partnership with ne’ma to expand circular economy solutions and reduce food loss and waste

>> H.E. Dr Maria AlQassim: Partnership supports national target to reduce food loss and waste by 2030, in line with National Food Security Strategy 2051

The Ministry of Economy and Tourism announced the strengthening of its partnership with ne’ma, the National Food Loss and Waste Initiative, to expand cooperation and facilitate the exchange of expertise. The partnership seeks to leverage the initiative’s experience in bringing partners together and developing practical solutions for the application of circular economy practices across the events and hospitality sectors. It aims to enhance resource efficiency, reduce waste, and support the development of innovative solutions to benefit from food waste and create added economic value. Furthermore, the partnership aligns with the Ministry’s efforts to support the transition toward a circular economy and establish more sustainable and resource-efficient production and consumption patterns.

H.E. Dr Maria Hanif AlQassim, Assistant Undersecretary for the Policies and Economic Studies sector at the Ministry of Economy and Tourism, highlighted that strengthening cooperation among government entities, national initiatives and the private sector is a key pillar in expanding circular economy solutions and achieving greater efficiency in resource use.

H.E. added that cooperation with ne’ma creates opportunities to develop practical measures that reduce food waste, improve operational efficiency across business activities in the hospitality and events sectors, and support innovation in measurement, data analytics and productive use of food waste. The cooperation further supports the Ministry’s efforts towards achieving the UAE’s target of reducing food loss and waste by 2030, in line with the National Food Security Strategy 2051 and United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12.3, which underscores the importance of reducing food waste at the retail and consumer levels and food losses along production and supply chains.

Khuloud Hasan Al Nuwais, Chief Sustainability Officer of Emirates Foundation and Secretary General of ne’ma National Steering Committee, the National Food Loss and Waste Initiative, said: “Our experience at major events has reflected that well-designed practical changes can deliver tangible results in reducing food waste and making better use of resources. Today, through this collaboration, we look forward to scaling these practices across the events and hospitality sectors and establishing them as part of institutional operating models, with a focus on measuring impact and leveraging data to identify the most effective solutions. Through its national role in aligning efforts, ne’ma continues to develop joint, practical and scalable solutions that reinforce shared responsibility and contribute to achieving our vision of a nation where no food is wasted.”

Areas of cooperation include monitoring the outcomes of adopted practices and measuring their economic and environmental impact by tracking the quantities of edible surplus food rescued and redistributed; food waste diverted from landfills; economic value generated; and emissions expected to be avoided. These data will provide a basis for identifying the most effective practices, assessing opportunities to scale them, and examining policies and mechanisms that encourage companies to adopt circular economy solutions.

The partnership also creates opportunities for SMEs and technology innovators to develop solutions that support the transition toward a circular economy, including automated measurement tools, data analytics and technologies that help predict demand, optimise procurement and operations, and reduce food surplus. This will contribute to expanding opportunities for innovation and developing more resource-efficient business models, while enabling food waste to be used in applications that create economic and environmental value.

The partnership focuses on expanding the use of “Climate-Conscious UAE Zero Food Waste Events Guide”, that was launched by ne’ma in January 2025, also translating the practices it sets out into actionable measures across the events and hospitality sectors, leveraging practical experience from major events where ne’ma’s approach has been implemented, including COP28 and Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week. The Guide identifies practical measures to reduce food surplus, including improving planning and sourcing, and safely rescuing and redistributing edible surplus food.

This approach builds upon preventing food waste at source, followed by rescuing and safely redistributing edible surplus food, and benefiting from unavoidable organic waste by converting it into valuable resources such as fertilizers and energy. This contributes to enhancing resource efficiency, establishing circular economy practices, and supporting more sustainable production and consumption patterns.