12.2.1.Policy on ethical sourcing of food and supplies 

Lebanese University halves the global food waste and reduces food losses along production and supply chains for the sake of enhancing all staff, the faculty, and students' performance. In this sense, the Lebanese University has a policy on ethical sourcing of food and supplies.  

The Lebanese University established at its campuses namely Hadath and Fanar campus laboratories and centers to study the quality of food and water and medicine in Lebanon, and also to study diseases, viruses and bacteria causing illness.

The Lebanese University has the Water, Food and Drug Quality Center in order to examine the quality of the commercial food products and water bottles sold and pharmaceutical products spread in the Lebanese market. 

The National Center for the Quality of Medicine, Food, Water and Chemicals of the Lebanese University obtains ISO 9001:2015 certificate with distinction, on December 21, 2019, according to ISO international standards. The committee praised the accuracy of the quality system in the laboratory of microbiological analysis, which aims to examine samples of food and water and detect microbiological contaminants, achieving a maximum assurance of the test results’ quality and ensuring high performance of the Center services. 

The Director of the Center also prepared a draft agreement with the Ministry of Economy & Trade to be signed with the Lebanese University after the New Year's holiday. Pursuant to this Agreement, the Lebanese University will carry out analysis in the same manner as the Agreement concluded with the Ministry of Public Health. The National Center for the Quality of Medicine, Food, Water and Chemicals became one of the leading centers with national reference to quality standards for analysis. The Center provides professional and accurate technical services to public and private institutions because of its highly qualified personnel and expertise and the latest equipment of laboratory analysis. Those qualities benefit the internal and external environment of the Center. Thus, the mere mention of the name of the National Center for the Quality of Medicine, Food, Water and Chemicals became linked to confidence, excellence, quality and leadership. 

On September 12, 2019, a new patent is registered by the Lebanese University (professors and students) in the field of water sciences for the benefit of humans and their environment, this time related to "the manufacture of new polyurethane filters that contain activated charcoal made from (banana) to desalinate seawater". 

The idea of ​​the subject of a patent issued by the Ministry of Economy and Trade started with the graduation project of the student Reem Hussein Nasser al-Din (Master-2 - Water Sciences) at the Faculty of Science at the Lebanese University, to complete the research with a number of professors of the Higher Institute of Doctorate in Science and Technology and the colleges of science and health at the Lebanese University They are the doctors Akram Hijazi, Wasif Al-Khatib, Mounir Kassir, Muhammad Al-Iskandarani, and Mustafa Hamieh. 

Reem's student graduation project, addressed the issue of purifying water contaminated with heavy metals (such as copper and lead). After the success of the filters manufactured by capturing these minerals, this technique was later applied to saltwater (seawater) In order to sweeten it using banana stalks and extract activated charcoal from it. 

After passing the seawater through it, the filters were able to capture many mineral salts and ions that give salinity to the water, including copper, iron, zinc, calcium, nitrate, phosphate, etc. 

 The most important topic is that these filters can be used especially in coastal areas to enable the consumer to benefit from saltwater and desalinate it through an inexpensive and environmentally friendly technology. 

The congress was made on April 16, 2019, which is an annual event organized by the Lebanese Food, Drug and Chemical Administration (LFDCA). The LFDCA is established since June 2016 in the Faculty of Pharmacy of the Lebanese University in affiliation with the Faculty of Public Health, Faculty of Medical Sciences and Faculty of Dental Medicine. It aims with the support of the Ministry of Public Health to ensure Food, Drug and chemical quality and safety. 

This year the congress entitled ''Pollution, Quality of Health, Reality and Perspectives Researches and Field Studies'' was made at the Lebanese University, Rafic Hariri Campus, Hadath gathering a multidisciplinary audience included medical doctors, pharmacists, biologists, students and representatives of several ministries, institutions, and universities.

The Lebanese University established an agreement on 5 March 2019, with Litany institution which is a public institution dedicated to examining the cleanliness of the Litany water and all the neighboring rivers. 

Litani River Authority was established under the Law dated August 14, 1954 amended on December 30, 1955. Since its establishment, the Litani River Authority was considered to be a public institution. 

The Lebanese University established agreements with some Lebanese municipalities aiming to exchange expertise and consulting in several projects of a social, health, environmental, engineering and waste managing, such as:  

Signed agreement on 26 July 2018 to exchange expertise and training in environmental, engineering and social programs.

With the Federation of Municipalities of Tire Caza was signed an agreement that was signed on 19 November 2017 aiming to develop agricultural and environmental work and sustainable development.

With the Federation of Municipalities of Jabal Amel Caza, an agreement was signed on 19 November 2017 aiming to develop agricultural and environmental work and sustainable development. Which is a Lebanese local authority which is located in Marjaayoun District (Qada'a), an administrative division of Nabatiyeh Governorate (Mohafazah). 

With the Tripoli municipality, an agreement was signed on 17 May 2018, to exchange expertise and training in environmental, engineering and social programs. The Lebanese University campus in Tripoli is the main public higher educational hub in Northern Lebanon. The masterplan is composed of 8 faculties and accommodates up to 18,000 students. It also includes a library, a central cafeteria, a sports complex and 50,000m2 of landscaped areas. 

The Lebanese Government aimed to achieve objectives: 

The Lebanese University signed an agreement with the South Council on 19 November 2017 aiming to develop agricultural and environmental work and sustainable development. 

This article presents the major components of contemporary Lebanese food policy. Current policies may be organized according to the three dimensions of food security: availability, access, and utilization. Policies targeting food availability primarily seek to stimulate agricultural production, control imports, and promote high value exports. Measures to ensure food access in Lebanon, by both Lebanese and non-Lebanese populations, take the form of price control measures and social safety net programs. Food utilization measures include policies promoting public health nutrition, including food safety. The current agricultural and food landscape in Lebanon is strongly influenced by the country's traditionally laissez-faire approach to economic policy and its history, including recent conflicts. Keywords Lebanon; Food policy; Food security; Agriculture; Nutrition; Food safety; Food trade; Production subsidy.

Known for its mercantile history, Lebanon’s markets are one of its lifelines: up to 80 percent of the country’s food needs are imported in any given year. Being market savvy, however, comes with both blessings and drawbacks. Since the end of the civil war in 1990, the political tempo has been high; governments have come and gone and policy has been fragmented, not least with respect to food and nutrition security. Tax bases have remained low while successive governments have adapted to spending requirements through borrowing, mostly from local banks. The political turmoil has resulted in economic growth not keeping pace with rising debt which now stands as one of the highest in the world compared to GDP. Partially as a result, social safety nets remain underdeveloped and the poverty rate has remained at around 30 percent.

Signing of a cooperation agreement between the Ministry of the Environment and the Lebanese University

The most important thing is that the agreement is flexible and may involve any third party when needed. It allows to secure specialists to participate in research, teaching and environmental guidance through the exchange of expertise. 

The Minister of the Environment, Muhammad Al-Machnouk, signed a cooperation agreement with the President of the Lebanese University, Dr. Adnan Al-Sayed Hussein, aimed at promoting the environmental sector, rehabilitating the damaged environment, and spreading agricultural awareness and environment in Lebanon. 

The signing ceremony was attended by the Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture of the Lebanese University, Dr. Samir Al-Mudawar, the Head of the Department of the Environment of the College, Dr. Nadine Nassif, Dr. Abdel Halim Mneimneh, the Advisor to the Minister of the Environment, Dr. Manal Muslim, Dr. Youssef Dougan and various heads of departments of the ministry. 

In his welcoming speech to the Lebanese University delegation, Minister Al-Machnouk said: “We meet today with the Lebanese University, which we are proud of as the main resource for the results of university education in most countries. official departments and private institutions. It constitutes at least half of the university students in Lebanon, and with this expansion and the number of specializations that it was able to cover all the job opportunities available in Lebanon, the region and the world. "Â