MOCCAE, Emirates Foundation, Cisco to expand Expo 2020’s Food Rescue Programme

The Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE) and Emirates Foundation in collaboration with Cisco will explore a national adaptation of a food waste initiative following its impactful implementation at the World Expo.

As the first of its kind in the UAE, the Food Rescue Programme enables the monitoring of food operations at the Expo site’s restaurants, food halls and staff canteens to ensure they adhere to the highest sustainability criteria in food preparation, while also empowering the distribution of surplus to those in need via a collaboration with the UAE Food Bank.

The Programme utilises state-of-the-art technology from Replate, a Cisco grantee, to automate the food rescue process, connecting donors to charities and communities in need, and tracking the environmental impact of all donations. Cisco’s ‘AI for Good’ team worked with Replate to develop a model that can forecast food supply to maximise food recovery and optimise its operations. Since its launch in October 2021, the Food Rescue Programme has seen a plethora of caterers, cafes, restaurants and food trucks sign up. a testament to Expo 2020 Dubai’s commitment to its Sustainability subtheme.

The continued collaboration, which will draw on key learnings from the Programme at Expo 2020 Dubai, is part of MOCCAE’s endeavours to enhance the sustainability of food systems and reduce food waste in the UAE, with the aim of strengthening national food security.

Her Excellency Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, said: “Reduction of food waste is among the main pillars of food security. MOCCAE works closely with its strategic partners from the public and private sectors to drive the adoption of sustainable food production and consumption practices. We are pleased to work with Expo 2020 Dubai on the programme that repurposes food produced at the exhibition site. This will ensure a considerable reduction in food waste levels and optimise the use of food surplus by channelling it to those in need, which supports efforts to enhance food security and consolidate Expo’s position as a sustainability-oriented international platform.”

The Food Rescue Programme supports MOCCAE’s strategy to help the UAE meet the target of halving food waste by 2030, as outlined by Sustainable Development Goal 12: Sustainable Consumption and Production.

In 2018, the Ministry introduced the UAE Food Waste Pledge in collaboration with the food tech company Winnow with a target to save one million meals in the first year. Working closely with companies in the UAE hospitality sector, the initiative succeeded in preventing 1.6 million meals in 2018 and two million meals in 2019 from being wasted.