I’MPERFECT aims to bring all key stakeholders together within a collective framework to encourage the use of ‘imperfect’ fruits and vegetables with the objective of reducing food loss at the source level, i.e., farms.

 The launch was attended by , H.E. Sultan Abdullah Alwan Al Habsi, Assistant Undersecretary for Region sector, HE Hadi bin Nasser Al-Hajri Ambassador of the of Qatar, HE Giovanni Favill Consul General of Italy in Dubai, and H.E Anurag Bhushan Consul General of India in Dubai.

 It was also attended by representatives of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the UAE Ministry of Education, the Khalifa Fund the environment agency - Abu dhabi Abu Dhabi farmers service center, Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority, ICARDA, and the SOS Children's Villages, as well as several private sector companies were also present.

 The I’MPERFECT campaign falls in line with the Ministry’s strategic objective to enhance food safety and the sustainability of local production. It encourages the effective engagement of the corporate and economic sectors in a move towards environmental sustainability. Moreover, it launches awareness initiatives to enlighten society on the hierarchy of waste management, including waste reduction, re-use, segregation, and recycling.

 The campaign targets the government sector, farmers, society, retail centers, food production and sales companies, schools, and industry-related SMEs. It aims to support local food projects and educate the public about the importance of reducing the loss and waste of consumable food by raising awareness among farmers about the significance of harvesting imperfect fruits and vegetables and marketing them in retail stores. It also encourages the exchange of expertise and knowledge on means to reduce food waste and proper recycling.

 The agenda for the campaign includes the celebration of the 70^th anniversary of the FAO and the opening of a food bazaar in support of owners of SMEs. This complements the World Food Day’s theme for 2015 of ‘Social Protection and Agriculture: Breaking the Cycle of Rural Poverty.’

 The I’MPERFECT campaign will be launched in three different stages to ensure it reaches all parties and segments of society. The first phase will target schools across the UAE and encourage them to set up an integrated action plan to be implemented during the current school year, with the in-house environmental teams to organize events under the supervision of faculty.

 The second phase will see the expansion of participating parties to include those who are engaged in retail sales and industrial consumers. In this stage, the strengthening of dialogue with the farmers through the Ministry of Environment and Water will take place to ensure access of all crops to the consumer market. In addition, it will increase the level of awareness among brokers such as small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) as essential elements in the processing of these agricultural products to increase the shelf life and improve product value. During this phase, there will be access to a greater number of schools and other communities.

 The third and final phase aims to ensure the participation of all major parties, such as the Ministry of Environment, which will play a key role in providing the necessary technical support and facilities during the campaign.

 The I’MPERFECT campaign is organized to focus on the national commitment to reduce food waste. It aims to gather all relevant stakeholders within one framework to address this phenomenon as part of the social responsibility of these parties and at the same time, develop a strategic solution to create a smart business environment that is suitable for growth and development. It is likely that companies, which exercise the best strategies to reduce waste, will get more opportunities to gain access to these limited resources in the future, given its commitment to sustainable and responsible use.

 World Food Day has been celebrated globally on October 16 since its launch by the FAO. Many other organizations concerned with food security, including the World Food Program, also commemorate this day. This global initiative aims to highlight the role of family agriculture in reducing hunger and poverty, providing food security and healthy nutrition, improving livelihoods, and natural resource management and protection in order to achieve sustainable development, especially in rural areas.