NEMA
NEMA (ne'ma) is the UAE government's National Food Loss and Waste Initiative, recovering surplus food from major suppliers and redistributing it free to families in need across five emirates via seven distribution hubs during the annual Ramadan campaign.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersBoston, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
NEMA firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- NEMA
- Legal name
- The National Food Loss and Waste Initiative ne'ma
- Website
- https://rentnemaboston.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- NEMA (ne'ma) is the UAE government's National Food Loss and Waste Initiative, recovering surplus food from major suppliers and redistributing it free to families in need across five emirates via seven distribution hubs during the annual Ramadan campaign.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
NEMA industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Food Rescue Services
- NAICS
- Community Food Services (62421)
- SIC
- Sanitary Services (4950)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Reuse & Resale / Recommerce Operations (EUAIANAC)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Emergency Shelter, Camp Management & Non-Food Items (NFI) (BPAGAAAC)
Keywords
Where NEMA is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Boston
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
NEMA business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others
NEMA product offering
Product offeringCore offering
NEMA (ne'ma) is the UAE's National Food Loss and Waste Initiative, operating as a government-backed food rescue platform that recovers surplus food from major food suppliers (Majid Al Futtaim Group, Silal, Agthia Group) and redistributes it to families in need. The initiative primarily runs the 'Valuing Our Roots' Ramadan campaign, operating across seven distribution hubs in five emirates to distribute ne'ma Family Iftar Boxes to over 10,000 families.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Valuing Our Roots Ramadan Campaign An annual Ramadan food rescue campaign that operates across multiple emirates, distributing Iftar boxes to families and working toward a 50% increase in recovered surplus food year-over-year. The 2026 campaign operates across five emirates with seven distribution hubs.
- Ne'ma Family Iftar Boxes Pre-packed food boxes distributed to families during Ramadan, containing surplus food recovered through the initiative's distribution hubs and partner network. Targets over 10,000 families per campaign.
Quantifiable outcome
- Target to increase recovered surplus food by 50% compared to 2025
Companies that use NEMA
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
NEMA technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
NEMA partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Majid Al Futtaim GroupcoreMajor food supplier partner supporting the 'Valuing Our Roots' Ramadan campaign. Provides surplus food for recovery and redistribution to families in need across seven distribution hubs in five emirates.
- SilalcoreFood supplier partner contributing to the ne'ma Ramadan campaign. Supports the initiative's goal to recover surplus food and increase recovered quantities by 50% compared to 2025.
- Agthia GroupcoreFood supplier partner in the ne'ma 'Valuing Our Roots' Ramadan campaign. Provides food products for the ne'ma Family Iftar Boxes distributed to over 10,000 families.
Scale indicators6 records
NEMA competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Feeding America: Largest hunger-relief organization in the United States, operating a nationwide network of food banks. Comparable in national-scale food redistribution and supplier partnerships, but at a far broader scale and serving a different geography.
Direct peers
- Olio: UK-based food-sharing platform connecting neighbors and local businesses to redistribute surplus food. Comparable as a digital food rescue platform tackling the same food-loss-and-waste problem with a sharing/redistribution model.
- FareShare UK: UK's largest food redistribution charity, collecting surplus from food producers and retailers and redistributing to a network of frontline charities. Highly comparable operating model combining hubs, volunteers, and supplier partnerships.
- Food Rescue US: US-based volunteer-driven platform that recovers surplus food from businesses and delivers it directly to social-service agencies. Closely comparable as a volunteer-mobilized, technology-supported food rescue model.
- Dubai Food Bank: Dubai-based food rescue initiative under the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, redistributing surplus food to those in need. Comparable as a UAE-emirate-level food rescue operation overlapping with ne'ma's Dubai and Al Ain activities.
- FoodCloud: Ireland-based social enterprise that redistributes surplus food from retailers to charities via a tech platform. Comparable in combining technology, supplier partnerships, and charitable redistribution — a strong analogue for ne'ma's hub model.
- UAE Food Bank: UAE-based food bank that collects surplus food from hotels, restaurants, and retailers and redistributes it to beneficiaries. Directly comparable as a UAE-anchored food rescue and redistribution platform serving the same segment and partnering with overlapping supplier types.
- Too Good To Go: European-headquartered marketplace app connecting consumers with surplus food from restaurants and retailers to reduce food waste. Directly comparable as a tech-enabled food rescue/redistribution platform serving a similar mission, though commercially structured.
Emerging players
- ReFood: Food-waste collection and anaerobic digestion operator in the UK, recovering surplus food from commercial kitchens and processing it for energy recovery. Adjacent rather than identical: tackles the same upstream problem but via waste-to-energy rather than direct human redistribution.
Regional players
- Saudi Food Bank (Ebsar): Saudi Arabia's national food bank, redistributing surplus food across the Kingdom through a hub-and-volunteer model. Highly comparable in mission and operating model but operating in a different GCC geography, making it a regional rather than direct competitor.
Market position
Customer concentration
NEMA social profiles
Digital presenceNEMA financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
NEMA leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
NEMA funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
NEMA M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about NEMA
What does NEMA do?
NEMA (ne'ma) is the UAE's National Food Loss and Waste Initiative, operating as a government-backed food rescue platform that recovers surplus food from major food suppliers (Majid Al Futtaim Group, Silal, Agthia Group) and redistributes it to families in need. The initiative primarily runs the 'Valuing Our Roots' Ramadan campaign, operating across seven distribution hubs in five emirates to distribute ne'ma Family Iftar Boxes to over 10,000 families.
Is NEMA a public or private company?
NEMA is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was NEMA founded?
NEMA was founded in 2013. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is NEMA based?
NEMA is headquartered in Boston, United States, in the North America region.
Who are NEMA's main competitors?
Feeding America is listed as a broad incumbent. Direct peers are Olio, FareShare UK, Food Rescue US, Dubai Food Bank, FoodCloud, UAE Food Bank and Too Good To Go. ReFood is listed as an emerging player. Saudi Food Bank (Ebsar) is listed as a regional player.
Does NEMA have an API?
No public API is recorded for NEMA.
What industry is NEMA in?
NEMA's product category is Food Rescue Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EUAIANAC, Reuse & Resale / Recommerce Operations, with a secondary code of BPAGAAAC, Emergency Shelter, Camp Management & Non-Food Items (NFI). Its NAICS code is 62421 and its SIC code is 4950.