Bahrain Food Bank has recovered and redistributed more than three million meals since its founding in 2014, its operating body said Tuesday, as the world marked the UN’s International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste. Bahrain Food Bank Meal Rescue
The Conserving Bounties Society, which runs the food bank, said it has reached over 3,000 families and 5,000 individuals by rescuing surplus food that would otherwise have gone to waste.
Chief executive Thawra Al Dhaen told the Gulf Daily News that 3,147,814 meals have been saved and distributed since the organisation began, with 171,254 of those delivered in the first half of this year alone.
The numbers show that Bahrain has a serious problem with food waste as about 400 tonnes of food are thrown away every day, which in turn, creates up to hundreds of thousands of tonnes of waste food that is dumped at the Askar landfill in a year, with food making up as much as 50% of landfill waste. Meanwhile, the society’s waste recovery efforts have grown from 183 tonnes in 2024 to 230 tonnes in 2025.
Al Dhaen said edible food regularly becomes surplus because of overproduction, cancelled events, buffets or shifting demand, even though families in need could benefit from it.
Home-cooked meals with multiple dishes, restaurant leftovers, hotel buffet food and excess Iftar meals are among the most common sources, she said, with cultural habits around hospitality — particularly during Ramadan — contributing to the volume.
Donations are inspected at source, portioned, labelled and delivered in temperature-controlled vehicles under strict timelines to preserve safety and dignity for recipients, she added.
The environmental stakes are considerable. The UN Environment Programme estimates food loss and waste generate eight to ten percent of global greenhouse gas emissions — a footprint roughly five times that of aviation — while its 2024 Food Waste Index put the annual economic cost worldwide at close to $1 trillion.
The Bahrain effort ties into UN Sustainable Development Goal 12 on responsible consumption, with Al Dhaen urging residents to buy responsibly, store food properly and donate safe surplus rather than discard it. Bahrain Economy
