Youngsters stand up to support World Food Programme’s global movement

Meet 12-year old student activist Naisha Rajani who took a pledge to end food waste, thanks to a platform at a youth-led event which took place at Choithrams Al Wasl Road in Dubai. The teenager was joined by members of a group she heads, called the Beacon Club, which aims to highlight and raise awareness against food waste in the region. The young activists informed store customers that one in nine people go to bed hungry every day, and offered solutions and ideas about how everyone can help improve the situation. Choithrams customers were given advice on sharing food with others, buying smaller portions and using leftovers creatively, as well as statistics on how each small step could help stop food waste.

The thought-provoking moment saw Naisha become Dubai’s answer to Greta Thunberg, supporting global campaigns and willing to speak out. The event was featured across media channels in the region including the Gulf News. Read the full report here.

Choithrams is focused on reducing food waste at its outlets throughout the year, and in 2019 the group recycled 41 tonnes of food waste while donating more than 37 tons of food to the UAE Food Bank.

Love your leftover recipes

To raise awareness of Stop the Waste global initiative by the United Nations World Food Programme (UNWFP) Choithrams team member Kirti Malhotra hosted a cooking class at Top Chef Cooking Studio to showcase useful tips and tricks on how to minimise food waste. Simple solutions for food prep, shopping for groceries, cooking, consuming dishes and storing leftovers were all covered. Participants included influencers Alreemsaif, Suzi Nassif, NourAldin Al Yousuf, Anthony Rahayel, as well as top chefs Maya and Toni Shushani.

The cooking class started with a special message by H.E. Reem Almheiri Minister of Food and Water Security, who addressed the participants with a video message.