Up to a quarter of all food bought in Bahrain is thrown away, according to a senior government environmentalist.

However, people throw away even more during Ramadan, Eid festivals and Muharram, said Public Commission for the Protection of Marine Resources, Environment and Wildlife senior environmental specialist Rehan Ahmed.

The expert is now encouraging people to think before they buy - saying Bahrain discards more than 300 tonnes of organic food waste on a daily basis.

That constitutes around 11 per cent of total municipal waste, which is collected by private contractors and dumped at the municipal landfill site in Askar.

'The dumping of food and other organic waste poses many serious environmental problems like attracting birds, proliferation of vermin and insects, occupying valuable land resources and generation of greenhouse gases,' said Mr Ahmed.

'But the major problem is the huge waste of money.'

He said that during Ramadan and Eid the demand for meat, vegetable, fruit and dairy products increases by as much as 50pc.

'The enormous food waste generation can be witnessed at all levels, from the wholesaler to retailer and to consumers,' said Ahmed.

'It is environmentally and morally offensive that as a society we have become so casual about the basic raw materials of life.

'Over the years, society has become more wasteful due to a rise in income, living standards and affordability, but (being able to afford food) does not mean that wastage should increase.'

However, Ahmed said Bahrain was not alone in being wasteful and claimed it was following the footsteps of Americans and Europeans in the amount of food being wasted.

Britons reportedly throw away one-third of their food, which constitutes 20pc of everything that goes into the dustbin every week - half of which could have been eaten.

'We need to develop better food habits and respect for Mother Nature,' said Ahmed. 'The social and cultural solution lies in the smart way of dealing with food items and associated waste.'-TradeArabia News Service