RIYADH — Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture Eng. Abdul Rahman Al-Fadley urged the people of Saudi Arabia to maintain a balance in purchasing foodstuffs in a way that achieves sufficiency and does not lead to wastage of food. “Food waste has produced negative effects on the environment, health and the economy,” he said. The ministry revealed that the amount of food waste in the Kingdom stood at around 4.066 million annually while reaching more than 1.3 billion tons globally. Deputy Minister of Environment Mansour Al-Mushaiti said that Saudi Arabia is taking advanced steps to contribute to achieving food security, by stimulating positive behavior, rational consumption and avoiding the risks of food waste. Governor of the Saudi Grains Organization (SAGO) Ahmed Al-Faris said that food waste is estimated at SR40 billion annually. “Therefore, awareness must be enhanced to bring down food waste so as to benefit from food surplus,” he said while stressing that every member of the community has to interact and share their daily experiences and practices to avoid food waste. On Thursday, the ministry published a drama video clip, in which it calls for food not to be wasted with the hashtag “Shortage nor supply”. In the clip a woman appears to be throwing food remains in the trash, while a voice in background advises her that a shortage of food is better than an increase in garbage.