The UAE Food Bank, part of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives (MBRGI), announced that it collected and distributed 8.2 million meals as part of its Ramadan campaign ‘The Bank of Goodness in the Month of Goodness.’

The campaign aimed to provide eight million meals to beneficiaries in the UAE and abroad during the holy month through five initiatives – Charity Fridge, My Home Without Waste, Meer Al Khair, Zabeel Iftar, and Recycle, Relife – delivered within an integrated framework for sustainable surplus food management.

A total of 7.3 million individuals, including nearly 1.368 million families and more than 500,000 workers, benefited from the campaign. Approximately 6,645 volunteers supported the initiatives under the campaign. As part of the campaign’s wider objectives, the food bank established 12 new partnerships to support its operations, engaged more than 215 donor institutions and companies, and delivered 80 awareness programmes.

The campaign also generated significant environmental and economic impact by diverting around 4.62 million surplus cooked meals and food parcels from the landfill, helping reduce over 4.693 million kg of carbon emissions, equivalent to planting 195,583 trees.

The initiative focused on improving the wellbeing of beneficiaries by expanding outreach locally and internationally, strengthening partnerships with public and private sector entities to manage food surplus, promoting sustainability practices, reducing waste, and encouraging volunteerism and social responsibility.

Manal Bin Yaroof, Head of the Executive Team at the UAE Food Bank, said, “The results of ‘The Bank of Goodness in the Month of Goodness’ campaign reinforce the purpose-driven vision on which the UAE Food Bank was founded – to serve as a sustainable humanitarian and charitable ecosystem that promotes giving while reducing food waste through the efficient management and redistribution of surplus food to those in need in accordance with the highest quality standards. This strengthens the UAE’s and Dubai’s position in charitable and humanitarian work while embodying the values of generosity and solidarity embedded within Emirati society. Our campaigns continue to support global initiatives to reduce hunger, create tangible and sustainable positive impact on communities, align with national efforts to strengthen food security, support the circular economy, and reduce food waste and carbon emissions.”

As part of the Charity Fridge initiative, the food bank installed 25 refrigerators across residential communities and schools in coordination with the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), benefiting 495,677 individuals. This made it easier for the public to donate surplus food in an organised and safe manner, promoting solidarity and sustainable food preservation.

With the participation of partners and volunteers, the Meer Al Khair initiative distributed food parcels containing essential supplies to 6,843,544 beneficiaries to help them meet their daily needs and strengthen food security, reflecting the values of solidarity and compassion.

The food bank organised Zabeel Iftar, a communal Iftar event serving 5,000 workers. The humanitarian initiative embodied the values of compassion and community solidarity while reflecting the spirit of the holy month through promoting a culture of giving and social responsibility.

As part of its efforts to advance sustainability and social responsibility, the UAE Food Bank partnered with ne’ma, the UAE’s National Food Loss and Waste Initiative, on the Recycle, Relife initiative. The collaboration aims to enhance the efficiency of surplus food management, divert food waste from landfills, support the circular economy, and reduce carbon emissions from organic waste.

Through this initiative, the food bank salvaged approximately 1.4 million kg of surplus food and near-expiry products from the food service sector and retailers. These were redistributed to reach the largest possible number of beneficiaries while raising community awareness toward achieving zero food waste.

The efforts included collecting food surplus from 87 hotels, marking a 142% increase over the past year. Non-consumable food was converted into 72,973 kg of organic agricultural compost to benefit local farmers, with coordination through the Reloop app by Ecyclex. The efforts resulted in 364,863 kg of food waste being diverted from landfills, in addition to reducing 926,753 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions, equivalent to planting 38,615 trees.

Partnering the initiative, ne’ma reaffirmed its commitment to developing an enabling environment and an integrated, effective system that supports the national goal to reduce food loss and waste while advancing sustainability across the UAE.

The My Home Without Waste initiative was one of the campaign’s awareness-driven programmes, designed to promote a culture of food preservation and the responsible use of surplus meals through educational messages delivered by influencers. It encouraged the community to reduce food waste, support sustainability, and adopt more responsible consumption habits. The initiative targeted citizens and residents of all age groups with a focus on homemakers, working women, and domestic workers.