اخبار قطر اليوم – وطن نيوز
اخر اخبار قطر – اخبار قطر العاجلة
W6nnews.com ==== وطن === تاريخ النشر – 2026-03-20 00:00:00
The holy month of Ramadan is one of the blessed months in which Muslims are careful about spending in an effort to earn a plentiful reward. It is a blessed season for acts of obedience and increased awareness of the rights of poor and needy Muslims. During the month of Ramadan, food consumption in Qatar increases significantly, accompanied by a phenomenon of food waste that raises profound environmental, economic and social concern. It is known that extravagance and extravagance in food and drinks increases during the month of Ramadan, as huge tables are prepared, with excessive variety and quantities, without regard to real need, or moderation in spending. This is certainly behavior that contradicts the true spirit and objectives of the holy month, which include worship, closeness to God, compassion, and solidarity with the needy and the poor. According to what experts in sustainability, food security and charitable work confirm to Lusail, this waste is not just a material loss, but rather contradicts the values of the Holy Month of preserving grace and self-control, exacerbates the pressure on limited resources such as water and land, and hinders achieving the goals of the National Food Security Strategy 2030 of reducing food waste by 50% in general, and 30% in the home consumption stage. In this context, the role of the Preservation of Grace Center of the Sheikh Eid Charitable Foundation is highlighted as a pioneering model that works in the fields of reducing waste and contributing to absorbing surplus food and redistributing it, especially in the holy month of Ramadan, through its integrated projects such as feeding and breaking the fast of fasting people and increasing goodness, which rescue surplus food from restaurants and events and redistribute it to needy families and workers, contributing to enhancing food security, reducing waste, and deepening community solidarity and sustainability. The environment is in Qatar’s vision of a responsible and interconnected society. According to the national study conducted by the Ministry of Municipality in cooperation with the United Nations Environment Programme, which adopted the Global Food Waste Index methodology and was classified among its most recent reports with a high degree of confidence, food waste production in Qatari families increases during Ramadan by up to 86% compared to normal seasons, in which about 25% of food prepared in homes is wasted, and the average annual household waste is about 92.9 kilograms per person. The importance of the feeding project. In the same context, Mr. Ali Ayed Al-Qahtani, Director of the Hifz al-Nima Center, told Lusail that the center is implementing a feeding project with the aim of enhancing food security for needy families and low-income workers within the State of Qatar, by purchasing and distributing meals on a regular basis, which contributes to alleviating their living burdens. Al-Qahtani went on to say: The project aims to reach about 100,000 direct beneficiaries, in addition to approximately 50,000 indirect beneficiaries, while providing approximately 10,000 meals per month through partnerships with restaurants and delivery applications, ensuring efficient implementation and sustainability of giving. He stated that the Iftar project is at the forefront of the campaign’s projects, as it is implemented by the Foundation annually during the holy month of Ramadan, and this year it provides 3,000 meals per day, with a total of more than 90,000 meals throughout the month, in many areas within the country. Ali Ayed explained: The total cost of the project amounts to about 3 million riyals, as Etaam relies on an updated database for beneficiaries and an electronic follow-up system for donations and distributed meals, which enhances transparency and raises the efficiency of distribution. The project is expected to contribute to improving the nutritional and health status of beneficiaries, reducing aspects of food poverty, and enhancing social responsibility, within the framework of a sustainable vision for charitable work. He adds: The center’s campaign includes the Zad al-Khair project to support needy families within the country, by issuing monthly purchasing cards in cooperation with commercial complexes, enabling the beneficiary families to provide their basic food needs in a way that preserves their dignity and gives them freedom of choice. Ali Al-Qahtani concludes by saying: The project aims to support about 2,500 families, with its impact expected to reach approximately 10,000 indirect beneficiaries, based on the results of social research that confirm that food represents the largest burden on the budgets of these families, which requires regular intervention to ensure the continuity of the provision of basic needs. Surplus Collection System Mr. Mansour bin Abdullah Al-Bardini, Public Relations Officer at the Hefz Al-Nima Center, revealed to Lusail that the Center has enhanced its operational readiness through the Food Bank team consisting of 25 employees and 14 transportation and distribution vehicles, and it operates in shifts daily from 9 a.m. to 1:30 a.m., with the charitable warehouse operating in two shifts, morning and evening, to ensure rapid response. Al-Bardini went on to say: The work process begins with receiving in-kind and food donations and transporting them to the center, then distributing breakfast meals after the afternoon prayer at the center’s headquarters, while during the night period after Tarawih prayers, surplus food is collected from banquets and events and redistributed directly to families and workers, to reduce food waste and maximize benefit. Al-Bardini stated: The groups that benefit most include workers in industrial zones and labor housing, and low-income and needy families, through an organized distribution network that ensures the delivery of aid with dignity and justice. He stressed that the center continues to transform surplus food into humanitarian value, calling on philanthropists and institutions to support Ramadan programs to expand the scope of beneficiaries and enhance the culture of giving within society. He pointed out that the Center adopted more than 2,500 families after studying their cases in the field by the Social Research Department, in addition to serving the workers segment through 83 distribution points covering 35 regions in Qatar, with a total of beneficiaries exceeding 10,000 workers, as the month of Ramadan represents the peak of the Center’s charitable work. According to the latest statistics published by the Center on its website for the year 2025, the total number of beneficiaries reached 413,949 beneficiaries from all of the Centre’s activities, while the number of meals preserved and distributed reached 398,852 meals, benefiting 247,219 workers and 38,341 families. These meals consist of: more than 58,799 tons of vegetables and fruits, 29,545 kg of fresh and frozen meat, 21,411 kg of rice, 5,784 kg of flour, 106,281 kg of dates, and about 332,670 liters of water, juices and drinks. Confronting the challenge of waste. These integrated efforts reflect Qatar’s commitment to confronting the challenge of food waste, and turning the holy month into an opportunity to enhance solidarity and sustainability. In an experience that reflects environmental awareness and social responsibility, the “Every Spring is a Flower” program camp, located between the Al Khor and Al Dhakhira regions, in coordination with the Al Naama Preservation Center, was able to rescue large quantities of food that were at risk of being wasted, and turn them into meals that nourish the needy. The program official and expert in the fields of sustainable development, Mr. Muhammad Hashem, explained that reducing food waste is not just a moral choice, but rather a fundamental pillar in building sustainable and safe food systems, which goes beyond the environmental aspect to include the social, economic and humanitarian dimensions, and remains one of the most prominent global challenges today. According to what Hashim told Lusail, the event – which was hosted by Qatar Academy in cooperation with several sports teams – was initially planned to provide an open buffet for more than 250 invitees, in partnership with prestigious restaurants. However, the cold weather conditions reduced the number of attendees to only about 50 people, leaving a large surplus of food. He adds that, in a quick and wise decision that embodies social responsibility, the program took an immediate initiative to contact the Hifz al-Nima Center (the first food bank in Qatar specializing in collecting and redistributing surplus food). With one phone call in the middle of the night from the head of the program, the association responded with remarkable speed, as its car arrived at the camp in less than an hour and a third, despite the distance from Doha, to carefully collect the remaining food and transport it directly to those who deserve it. Mr. Muhammad Hashem – who personally participated as the camp’s executive director in coordinating the operation – confirmed that this incident reveals an important aspect of food security: managing surpluses in moments of emergency, miscalculation, or changing circumstances. The rapid and organized response turns the challenge into an opportunity for good, and confirms that solutions do not always require complexity, but rather will, coordination and awareness. He concluded by saying: Every meal we save from waste is a step towards a more just and sustainable world. God is the one behind the intention and success. It is worth noting that the Center for the Preservation of Grace is a pioneering model in Qatar for combating food waste, as it collects surplus from events, restaurants and hotels and redistributes it to needy families and workers, contributing to enhancing social solidarity and sustainable development. Exceeds international rates. In a related context, Dr. Saif bin Ali Al-Hajri, head of the Nature Conservancy Centre, reveals that the rate of food waste during Ramadan reaches 50% of the total food prepared in homes, hotels and restaurants, and that the average food waste per capita in Qatar during the holy month exceeds international rates. He attributes this to the spread of the culture of consumption, the lack of good meal planning, the expansion of Ramadan banquets and social gatherings, and the increased demand for ready-made meals. Dr. explained. Al-Hajri said that there is an increase in demand for food products during the holy month, and at the international level, food waste during Ramadan is a seasonal example of a global challenge, as the Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that about 1.3 billion tons of food are wasted annually in the world, while the average food waste in the Middle East and North Africa region may reach about 250 kilograms per person annually. This is contrary to the teachings of our true religion, which focuses on rationalization in dealing with resources and the products resulting from their processing. No matter how generous and bountiful our planet is, there is no way to ensure that it remains green unless we preserve those bounties to enjoy them, and thank God for them, to ensure continued greenness. He concludes that it is important to address the main goals related to reducing waste in the National Strategy 2030, which stipulates the necessity of reducing the rate of food waste, especially in the home consumption and retail stage, by 30%, reducing food waste in general by 50%, and treating between 55% and 70% of the total food waste and food waste using sustainable solutions such as: recycling, converting to energy or organic fertilizer, saving the surplus through distribution to those in need, or advanced waste management techniques. According to the strategy, these goals complement other self-sufficiency goals in the strategy, such as 55% of strategic fresh vegetables, 70% of table eggs, 80% of fresh fish, and 14% of fresh red meat by 2030, as reducing waste is considered a virtual production that saves limited water and land resources. Advice for consumers: Food security expert Mr. Hassan bin Ibrahim Al-Asmakh provides practical advice to citizens and residents to reduce waste, most notably: plan your meals in advance, use an accurate shopping list, store food properly, use expiration reminder applications, reuse leftovers such as turning excess vegetables into soup or salad, donate the surplus to associations such as the Center for Preserving Grace or local initiatives, participate in national awareness campaigns or follow the news of the Ministry of Municipality. Al-Asmakh goes on to say to Lusail that wasting food during Ramadan contradicts the values of the holy month of preserving grace and self-control, which requires strengthening household planning, reducing quantities prepared in advance, and distributing the surplus to those in need, to achieve a balance between spirituality and environmental and economic responsibility. Collective efforts confirm that commitment to moderation is not just a religious duty, but rather an investment in a sustainable future for the nation. He concludes that among the current efforts and active initiatives in Qatar until 2026 is an intensive national campaign to reduce waste and promote sustainable consumption, which includes coordination between ministries, research institutions and civil society, projects to save food surplus from hotels, restaurants and events and distribute it through charities or food banks, and a focus on public awareness, especially in homes and schools, to reduce waste in the consumption stage where most waste occurs in Qatar. The holy month of Ramadan in the State of Qatar witnesses a noticeable increase in food consumption, It is accompanied by the phenomenon of food waste, which raises great environmental, economic and social concern. Official waste figures: According to the national study conducted by the Ministry of Municipality in cooperation with the United Nations Environment Program in Doha, which adopted the programme’s food waste index methodology, the results reveal an increase in the production of food waste in families during Ramadan by up to 86% compared to normal seasons, as about 25% of the food prepared in Qatari homes goes to waste. This study was classified within the Global Food Waste Index report with a high degree of confidence, making it suitable for tracking progress towards achieving the goal of reducing food waste by half by 2030. The same study estimates the average household food waste in Qatar at about 92.90 kilograms per capita annually, according to the same methodology. We target needy families. His Excellency Sheikh Dr. Mohammed bin Eid Al Thani, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Sheikh Eid Charitable Foundation affiliated with the Center for the Preservation of Grace, announced that the launch of the Traham campaign represents a natural continuation of the Foundation’s journey, which has exceeded three decades of organized and sustainable charitable work. His Excellency explained in a statement to the Foundation, a copy of which was received by Lusail, that the Foundation succeeded during this period in establishing an institutional model based on governance and transparency, by implementing specific projects aimed at supporting needy families, caring for orphans, and enhancing food security, which constituted a strong asset that enabled it to continue its mission with greater confidence and effectiveness. He stressed that the Foundation’s long history reflects its deep commitment to its humanitarian mission, and enhances its ability to expand the scope of its initiatives in the next stage to achieve a deeper and more sustainable impact. His Excellency indicated that the Foundation is working to develop its humanitarian system by focusing on three main axes: deepening the social impact of projects, expanding strategic partnerships, and accelerating the digital transformation in the management of programs and donations to ensure that giving reaches its beneficiaries more efficiently. The Chairman of the Board of Directors stressed that governance and transparency remain the organization’s top priorities, explaining that all Tarahum Campaign projects are subject to a strict control system that includes periodic financial auditing, continuous administrative oversight, and the use of advanced electronic systems to track the path of donations and expenditures. His Excellency said: We are committed to the highest standards of governance to ensure the confidence of donors and that every dirham reaches its intended recipient with complete transparency and without any delay.
