In Action: Latest Highlights

Onboarding Webinars for New Participants

onboarding webinars to welcome new study participants are ongoing. These sessions introduce the study’s goals and methodologies, helping stakeholders prepare to track food loss and waste using unified measurement tools that reflect sectoral realities.

Baseline Working Group Meeting

The Baseline Working Group (BWG), comprising key strategic partners including MOCCAE, ADAFSA, TADWEER, and Dubai Municipality, met this month to align on the study's progress. Their collaboration ensures the Baseline Study remains guided by national priorities and reflects the expertise of institutions central to food system resilience.

Retail Sector Comes Together to Tackle Food Loss and Waste

As part of the ongoing private sector engagement for the UAE Food Loss and Waste Baseline Study, ne’ma hosted a successful focus group session with retail sector companies on Tuesday, 19 August, at the Emirates Foundation in Abu Dhabi. The session brought together key industry players to discuss their shared responsibility in reducing food loss and waste, how participation in the Baseline Study can support their ESG goals, and how it contributes to the UAE’s national target of cutting food loss and waste by 50% by 2030.

Volunteer Briefing: Mobilizing Community Action Against Food Waste

On 20 August 2025, ne’ma, in collaboration with the Takatof Volunteering Program, hosted an engaging briefing session at Emirates Foundation to introduce volunteers to the UAE’s first Food Loss and Waste Baseline Study.

The session welcomed participants from across the public and private sectors, educators, and dedicated volunteers, all eager to take part in this national movement. This session marked the start of a two-week volunteer-led campaign running from 24 August to 6 September, designed to engage communities and gather support for a more sustainable, food-secure future

Looking Ahead: What to Expect in September

With national data collection beginning on 8 September, data collection agents have been visiting selected households to provide them with color-coded bags for placing their food waste items into for 14 days. These household insights will feed into a unified national dataset that reflects the quantities and causes of food loss and waste

Meanwhile, institutions and businesses have commenced data reporting through the ne’ma Data Hub, enabling the creation of sector-specific benchmarks and unlocking opportunities for targeted and measurable change.

The coming weeks represent a key phase of the UAE Food Loss and Waste Baseline Study. As homes across the country open their doors to support this national effort, every contribution matters. The willingness of households to segregate and measure their food waste, honestly and openly, is what will make the study truly successful.

A sincere thank you is extended in advance to all participating households and businesses for your commitment and to the dedicated data agents who will be working across every emirate. Your role is central to helping the UAE move from estimates to evidence and from awareness to taking initiative.

Follow ne’ma on social media for updates, field stories, and tips on how every participant, whether household, business, or institution, can help build a UAE where no food is wasted.

For any inquiries, visit www.nema.ae/baseline or email us at baseline@nema.ae.