UAE tops MENA in Global Food Security Index 2022

The Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE) revealed that the UAE ranked first in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region on the Global Food Security Index (GFSI) 2022, compared to the third place in the region in 2021.

According to the index, the UAE ranked first among MENA countries in the overall food security index and in the food availability indicator. Second in food quality and safety and fifth in food sustainability and adaptation as well as affordability.

As the UAE tops MENA in Global Food Security Index 2022, Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri, Minister of Climate Change and Environment said, “Strengthening food security is a strategic priority for the UAE. To achieve this objective, we have adopted an integrated approach that includes the implementation of national strategies and the creation of an enabling legislative and regulatory framework.”

The comprehensive National Food Security Strategy 2051 aims to develop sustainable food systems by using modern technologies, supporting local production, building international partnerships to diversify food sources. As well as by enacting laws and policies that improve nutrition and reduce food waste with the aim of ensuring food security under any circumstances. The strategy seeks to boost the UAE’s ranking in global food security indicators and transform the country into a hub for innovation-based food security.

Almheiri added that the efforts to strengthen food security include projects, programmes and initiatives that enhance local production capabilities, stimulate investment and entrepreneurship in the food sector and promote the adoption of sustainable agricultural methods.

She also stressed that the UAE is working to achieve its goal to top the GFSI by 2051.

The Minister noted that ensuring the availability of food and the continuity and flexibility of supply chains is one of the main pillars of the strategy. She explained that this involves boosting cooperation with other countries worldwide, diversifying food import sources, increasing foreign agricultural investment and monitoring import markets to verify compliance with the highest international food safety standards.

Globally, the UAE ranked 7^th in food availability and 16^th in food safety and quality.

In August 2021, MOCCAE signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Emirates Development Bank (EDB) to cooperate in identifying innovative financing solutions to support entrepreneurship in the agrifood industry based on the use of modern technologies and sustainable systems.

Food trade is one of the most important and dynamic sectors in the country that has witnessed a rapid recovery after the Covid-19 pandemic. The daily food import rate now exceeds 41,000 tons, a growth of 21% compared to the same period of the previous year.

The annual GFSI records and measures year-on-year changes in the structural factors that affect food security. The index considers several metrics, including food cost, availability, quality and safety, as well as natural resources and resilience across 113 nations. It is based on 58 indicators that measure the drivers of food security in developing and developed countries.