The amount of waste in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia has exceeded 6,000 tonnes daily, 60 per cent of which consists of food, said a top official, citing a recent statistics study.

Majed Al Ghamlas, deputy executive manger of philanthropy organization Etaam Association was speaking in reference to a cooperation agreement signed with Red Sea Mall in Jeddah for food saving awareness.

“Choosing to place our food saving booths at Red Sea Mall was due to our recognition that it is the biggest and most famous shopping mall in Jeddah. Therefore, launching out campaign from here will grant us to reach the widest range of audience that extends from locals to expats,” said Al Ghamlas.

The CSR initiative intends raise public awareness of food waste and its negative consequences on religious, social, humanitarian, health, and environmental level; through providing accessible means inside the mall to encourage the public to take an active role in sparing their excess food.

Etaam intends to provide six food saving booths at Red Sea Mall's food court area to eliminate food wasting habits.

The agreement is to include orientation on food preserving methods through awareness messages and training programs, to cultivate a higher realization perception to the mall visitors.

Mohamed Al Alwi, CEO of The Red Sea Markets, the owner company of Red Sea Mall, said during the signing occasion: "All society members should cooperate and put a valid collaborative effort to stop this phenomenon, especially that we can invest the food waste and direct it to charity, instead of throwing it away."

“Our Islamic principles prevent us from reckless food wasting. It continually persuades us to preserve our blessings, but the high percentage of excess food in Jeddah, motivated us to launch this initiative. We intend to continue our cooperation with Etaam's Association, and invest in more philanthropy initiatives, which projects positive benefits on the mall visitors, and people of Jeddah, as we believe in the essential role of top corporate in community service,” Al Alwi added. – TradeArabia News Service