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JEDDAH: The Shoura Council is considering fining individuals and companies for wasting food, of between 5 and 20 percent of the cost of food bought.

Shoura member Ahmed Al-Mufreh, who submitted the proposal, said that he was motivated to take action after seeing people waste large amounts, which he said is a sin, a drain on natural resources, needless killing of animals and depriving the poor.
Al-Mufreh suggested that special bodies in the private sector be mandated to collect the fines, similar to the Saher traffic system, to limit this extravagance and wastage at social occasions, a local publication reported.
There would be a fine of 20 percent of the food on individuals and families, 15 percent on groups and companies, and 5 percent on those who hold events without authorization.
The legislation also requires food caterers and restaurants to provide suitable containers for storing food that can be taken away to people’s homes. There would be no penalties for those who take food along with them.
Al-Mufreh proposed that the collected fines be deposited in a special bank account of a national center specifically set up to save food. The center would then enact regulations and publish details about fines and other issues.
Another Shoura member, Mufleh Al-Rashidi, suggested adding an article that would oversee the spending in municipalities and villages. There was a lack of sufficiently trained staff in these locations to handle such administrative tasks, he said.
According to latest reports, the food wasted in Makkah could feed 17 percent of hungry children in 18 developing countries. There are an estimated 4.8 million starving children in Africa, Asia and Latin American countries, said Ahmad Al-Matrafi, director general of a charity food project in Makkah, has said.
Legal experts have called for a tough action against those who waste food and urged the Bureau of Investigation and Public Prosecution (BIPP) to issue arrest warrants and take legal action against people who boast about their extravagance on social media.