It’s about that time of year again. No, not back to school–not quite yet. Ramadan.
While the Muslim holy month doesn’t begin until Friday, the pre-holiday anti-waste press is ramping up. In Turkey, an anti-waste group warned that the nation’s troubling food waste levels (3.5 million loaves wasted/day!) 
rise during Ramadan. The Turkish Foundation for Waste Reduction (TIVSA) noted that…
As part of their culture, people in Turkey place a heavy emphasis on preparing rich iftar (fast-breaking dinner) tables for their guests during Ramadan; however, this usually results in huge amounts of wasted food.
The article reminded Muslims that the desire to be hospitable should be balanced by this bottom line:
Ali Osman Ateş from Çukurova University’s faculty of theology said on Thursday that people should avoid waste and extravagance, underlining that waste is haram — forbidden in Islam.
In the UAE, not only has Gulf News written on Ramadan food waste, it has started an ambitious anti-waste special report:
Gulf News Wipe Out Waste (WoW) campaign looks at how people can manage the buying and consumption of food in a more effective manner during Ramadan to ensure a clean plate and a clean conscience.
While the campaign isn’t specific to food waste, it includes it. Best of all, they’ve already tackled one of my favorites–the confusion surrounding expiration dates.
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