Morocco Grapples with High Food Waste as Study Reveals 34% of Household Budgets Affected

The causes of this food waste are diverse and varied. For Mamoun Ghellab, Founder of the Moroccan Association, Zero Zbel, 10% of household budgets, on average, is devoted to food waste. He notes that "the problem touches on very symbolic elements in Morocco. We have an overproduction of stale bread, families buy too much. We start, we throw away, while these are imported cereals with subsidies that allow Morocco to have bread".

Household waste is between 32% and 34%, according to the 2015 FAO report. A situation described by Bouazza El Kharrati, head of the Moroccan Association for Consumer Protection and Guidance (AMPOC) and member of the Competition Council. He believes that "it is a scourge in our society. Culturally, we are used to buying in large quantities. But then, it stays 3 weeks in the fridge and we throw it away".

The agricultural sector would also be the source of the scourge. The assessment of the "Green Morocco Plan" and the agricultural sector shows a "poor organization of certain sectors".

The situation calls for awareness among Moroccans, on the one hand, and a revitalization of the agricultural sector, on the other hand, while placing particular emphasis on production and consumption.