Dubai Municipality Initiative to Reduce Food Loss

Dubai has experienced enormous economic and population growth, transforming the city from a small regional business hub in the 1970s to a global business hub of financial and tourism activities in the 21st century. Relevant Dubai Municipality reports were reviewed and semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions conducted with representatives of large food importers and local producers to evaluate the link between the food importation requirements and minimising food loss. Measures taken by the Municipality of Dubai to successfully reduce food loss and improve food security include the diversion of potential food loss to the United Arab Emirates Food Bank and recycling it into animal feed when appropriate. These measures significantly reduced food loss by 93% in the four years from 2016 to 2019. Some political and managerial implications of the study are highlighted.