Repurpose the surplus: How food ‘waste’ is feeding SA’s hungry

Repurposing surplus food could provide a tangible solution to South Africa’s dire food insecurity crisis, while simultaneously cutting down on waste.

A report released by the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries found that more than 10 million tonnes of quality food was lost or wasted annually.

This equates to one-third of the country’s total food produced.

On the either side of the spectrum, around 30 million people lack regular access to adequate safe and nutritious food in South Africa.

Food redistribution organisation FoodForwardSA (FFSA) is attempting to put a stop to the often unintentional wasting of food by launching a campaign to raise awareness.

ALSO READ: South Africans waste more food than ever, while food security declines

Surplus does not mean substandard

FFSA’s campaign, “Repurpose the Surplus”, aligns with the upcoming International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste on 29 September.

The aim of the camapign is to raise awareness of food insecurity in South Africa, along with possible solutions.

On average, one South African household discards 6kg of edible food every week. The average person requires around 4.4kg of food each day to be well fed.

“The obscene amount of food ‘waste’ or rather surplus food, presents a massive opportunity to curb food insecurity, while saving the environment.

“Grocery products that may not be good enough to sell, but is good enough to eat, then it’s good enough to donate,” explained FFSA managing director Andy du Plessis.

“By repurposing the surplus, we can recover good quality food and redistribute it to vulnerable people who don’t have access to or cannot afford a nutritious meal.

“Surplus food is still quality food and is not substandard.”

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Food donations policy

FFSA provides meals to more than 950 000 disadvantaged people across the country.

Du Plessis said providing one meal costs 68 cents, making it the most cost-effective food security solution.

“It’s our mission to ensure all South Africans can lead healthy, productive lives, and that starts by supporting people with reliable access to nutritious food.”

With bleak economic forecasts and sky-high unemployment, the network of people FFSA has built up rely heavily on healthy, repurposed meals.

One way to ensure ongoing support is to create a food donations policy for the country.

“We are planning to present policy recommendations to the office of the President for consideration, as a viable solution to address food insecurity at scale,” Du Plessis said.

Recommendations for the policy have already been drafted by FFSA, the Global FoodBanking Network, the Consumer Goods Council of South Africa, and Harvard Law School’s Food Law and Policy Clinic.

“The draft outline covers three key areas relevant to food donations.

“These include food safety for donations, liability protection for food donors, and tax incentives and government grants.

“Each of these factors work together to ensure no one has to experience the pain of food insecurity.”