Kuwait: On the occasion of World Hunger Day and in alignment with the United Nations UNSDG goal of reducing global food waste by 2030, talabat, the region’s leading tech company, is delighted to announce the launch of a unique initiative. With this initiative in collaboration with Naematy, a local NGO, and the Kuwait Farmers Federation, talabat aims to reduce waste from local farms specifically related to vegetables and fruits. As a part of this initiative, talabat collects the surplus of vegetables that would otherwise go unsold and delivers them to Naematy, which then distributes them to families in need in Kuwait.

Talabat’s Social Responsibility Towards the Community:

With a sense of social responsibility towards the community, talabat has partnered with Naematy and the Kuwait Farmers Federation, aiming to actively raise awareness about food wastage, promote waste recovery, and foster a stronger sense of compassion and responsibility towards the underprivileged.

This initiative reflects the company's commitment to aligning its business practices with Kuwait's national strategy for sustainable food management and waste reduction. This strategic direction is in harmony with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly UNSDG's goal number 12.3 which aims to “cut in half per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer level and reduce food losses along production and supply chains by 2030”.

Abdullah Al-Mansour, Head of COMMS, PA & CR talabat Kuwait commented on the initiative: “At talabat, we have a social duty and responsibility towards our community to reduce food wastage and aim to achieve that through this partnership with Kuwait Farmers Federation and Naematy. Through this partnership, we look forward to implementing sustainable practices and fostering a culture of responsible food consumption and waste reduction throughout the entire food value chain, supporting the country in its efforts to manage food resources more sustainably and reduce food wastage.”

A tech company at its core:

talabat is much more than the region’s leading food and grocery delivery app.  Essentially, as a technology-driven company, talabat is always bringing innovative ideas to the market, empowering their food and grocery partners to embrace digital technologies and leverage big data for the advancement of their services.

“As a tech company at its core, we at talabat, always look for innovative ideas to solve everyday challenges in the most efficient way possible. With that in mind, this initiative is the perfect example of how a tech company can utilize its knowledge of the food industry to overcome community challenges such as food wastage and contribute to the greater good of the society” Almansour commented.

Saving up to 3 tons of food waste:

Throughout the week-long duration of this initiative, talabat successfully prevented the disposal of nearly 3 tons of food waste. By minimizing food waste, not only are the number of products wasted reduced but also the amount of water, electricity and manpower used is cut down, resulting in cost savings. When considering the expenses associated with these factors over the course of a year, each farm has the potential to save up an incredible amount of money yearly.

Mohammed Al Muzaini, Founder of Naematy commented: “We at Naematy, are dedicated to safeguarding food, preventing waste and providing food for the needy by promoting responsible food consumption to prevent serious environmental, economic and social consequences”. He then added: “We established this partnership with talabat almost a year and a half ago by together collecting food baskets and distributing them to underprivileged families, completely free of charge”.

Abdullah Al Dammak member at the Kuwait Farmers Federation also commented: “We recognize the vital role community partnerships play in the success of any initiative, especially when it comes to raising awareness about food wastage. With that said, together with talabat, we established a system to collect excess vegetables from our farmers that were then delivered to Naematy to be distributed among families in need”. He then added: “Within only one week of the collaboration, we were able to save up to 3 tons of product wasted”.

Throughout the seven days of this ongoing initiative, talabat was able to raise awareness about the daily volume of wasted food and products by promoting more sustainable food consumption practices and cultivating a greater sense of empathy and responsibility towards those who are less privileged.