The program, titled “Sustainable Goodness”, is being implemented in partnership with Dubai Municipality, Dubai Customs, and DP World. It is designed to redirect suitable food shipments left uncleared at customs away from disposal and toward charitable distribution channels after undergoing health and safety assessments.
Turning Surplus Food Into Community Support
Under the initiative, participating organizations will establish procedures to identify, assess, and manage unclaimed food shipments arriving through Jebel Ali Port. Products that meet food safety and quality standards will be transferred to the UAE Food Bank for redistribution through its charitable network.
The initiative also creates a simplified process for companies that voluntarily choose to relinquish ownership of eligible shipments, making it easier for surplus food to reach communities rather than becoming waste.
According to the partners, the program aims to support food security objectives while improving resource efficiency and encouraging more sustainable supply chain practices across the logistics and food sectors.
Supporting Sustainability and Food Security Goals
Latifa Al Qamzi, Director General of the DP World Foundation, said the initiative demonstrates how operational challenges can be transformed into opportunities that generate wider social and environmental benefits.
She noted that the collaboration supports more effective surplus food management while strengthening charitable efforts and responsible resource use across the UAE.
Dubai Municipality will oversee the technical and regulatory requirements related to food safety and compliance before shipments are transferred to the UAE Food Bank, according to Dr. Naseem Mohammed Rafee, Acting CEO of the Environment, Health and Safety Agency at Dubai Municipality.
Cross-Sector Collaboration at Jebel Ali Port
The cooperation agreement was signed in the presence of several senior officials, including Eng. Marwan Ahmed Bin Ghalita, Director General of Dubai Municipality and Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the UAE Food Bank; Abdulla Bin Damithan, Chairman of the Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation; Dr. Abdulla Busenad, Director General of Dubai Customs; Latifa Al Qamzi, Director General of the DP World Foundation; Ahmed Yousef Al Hassan, CEO and Managing Director of DP World GCC and CEO and Managing Director of Jebel Ali Port; and Shehab Mohammed Al Jasmi, Chief Commercial Officer of Ports and Terminals at DP World GCC.
The partners also plan to launch awareness campaigns focused on reducing food waste and promoting responsible consumption, while tracking and reporting the initiative’s impact through sustainability and development platforms.
Why It Matters
Food waste remains one of the largest sustainability challenges facing global supply chains. By recovering unclaimed shipments before they are discarded, the Sustainable Goodness initiative creates a model that combines logistics infrastructure, food safety oversight, and charitable distribution to support both environmental goals and community needs. The initiative also highlights Dubai’s growing focus on circular economy principles and sustainable resource management.
