ADQ Signs Multi-Year Partnership With UAE's Ne'Ma To Cut Food Loss, Waste

ADQ, an investment and holding company based in Abu Dhabi, signed a multi-year partnership with ne'ma, the UAE's National Food Loss and Waste Initiative, which was launched in 2022.

Under the agreement, ADQ and ne'ma will look to create joint initiatives and collaborate with other parties to reduce food loss from production to consumption and encourage responsible consumption.

Ne'ma will also provide ADQ with data on food loss hotspots and systemic issues to help address challenges and find solutions. The initiative, a joint effort between the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment and the Emirates Foundation, aims to cut food loss and waste by 50% by 2030, supporting the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal (UNSDG) 12.3.

The United Nations estimated that about 13% of food is lost between harvest and retail, while another 19% is wasted at the consumption stage (like in stores, restaurants, and households).

Altogether, food loss and waste contribute to 8 to 10% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions. Ne'ma works on changing policies and starting projects to tackle the causes of food waste.

This partnership allows ADQ to help improve the local food system and boost its investments in the food and agriculture sector, both in the UAE and internationally. This collaboration also supports its goal of advancing Abu Dhabi's and the UAE's overall development.

"As a major investor in the local food and agriculture sector, we believe it is critical to ensure that enabling and upscaling the production of adequate, affordable and nutritious food goes alongside the preservation of food as a precious natural resource," Mansour AlMulla, Deputy Group Chief Executive Officer at ADQ, was quoted as saying by WAM.

"Our partnership with ne'ma reflects our dedication to ensuring that the remarkable activities that ne'ma has brought underway in the past two years receive the attention and community support they need to initiate lasting, a fundamental change of the food system here in the UAE," he added.

Khuloud Al Nuwais, Chief Sustainability Officer Emirates Foundation, and Secretary-General ne'ma Committee said that this partnership with ADQ highlights the important role of public-private sector collaboration in meeting the UAE's ambitious goal to halve food loss and waste by 2030.

Al Nuwais noted that the collaboration will provide innovative solutions to improve our food systems and make sure protecting food resources is central to the national food security strategy.