The Muslim month of fasting, Ramadan, which ends in the Gulf on Monday, is meant to be a month of spirituality and generosity towards the poor and needy.

But extravagant breaking-of-the-fast buffets in the region have been criticised for their excessive food wastage, among other things, as the Horn of Africa and other areas experience severe food shortages.

In Dubai alone, around 1,850 tonnes of left-overs were thrown out during Ramadan in 2010. That is enough to feed more than 40,000 people for a whole year.

Al Jazeera's Suranjana Tewari reports from Doha, Qatar.