Gulf's shameless Ramadan food wastage criticised

The Muslim month of fasting, Ramadan, meant to be a month of spirituality and understanding of the suffering of the poor and needy draws to a close today.

But, the period does not end on an entirely positive note. Extravagant breaking-of-the-fast buffets in the Gulf have been criticised for their excessive food wastage, among other things, as the Horn of Africa and other world regions experience severe food shortages.

In Dubai alone, around 1,850 tonnes of left-overs were thrown out during Ramadan in 2010. That is enough to feed more than 40,000 people for a whole year.