70% of SA households go hungry while 10 million tonnes of food go to waste

South Africa is producing enough food to feed its population, yet millions still go hungry.

Experts say the country wastes roughly a third of its food supply (about 10 million tonnes annually), costing an estimated R61 billion, or 2% of GDP.

Andy du Plessis, Managing Director at FoodForward SA, said the waste occurs across the entire food chain, from farms to households, despite widespread food insecurity.

"We live in a country where, according to our recent household food insecurity report, around 70% of our people are food insecure across South Africa. We've shown that in households, hunger is not episodic; it is chronic."

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Strict standards are driving waste

Du Plessis noted that much of the issue arises from strict retail and manufacturing standards that reject perfectly edible food.

Produce is often discarded for cosmetic reasons, such as size, colour, or minor blemishes.

"A lot of food that's wasted is due to specification. There are blemishes on the thing, or it doesn't look as red as it should be or as green as it should be, or it's too small for its size.

It's all good food, but the supply chain calls that waste, and yet it is gold to organisations like Food Forward SA."

Dr Nicola Jenkin, impact lead for Wrap South Africa and technical adviser to the SA Food Loss and Waste Initiative, said they have started investigating the issues around specifications.

"The big thing is actually farmers and manufacturers do want to do something about it [wasted food], but they're often concerned about the Consumer Protection Act.

What happens if somebody takes their food and falls ill? Or the other thing is, how do I actually know that whoever's taking it from me is credible?

We're trying to do a lot of work at the moment to try and identify credible entities to take this surplus food and join them up with farmers and manufacturers locally so they can actually find a suitable avenue for it."

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Calls for policy and behaviour change

Du Plessis believes that better education and policy reform could help redirect surplus food to those in need.

He suggested that food donation policies, already used in countries like France and the UK, could incentivise redistribution while reducing waste.

"Food that's still good for human consumption shouldn't be dumped in landfills simply because it's a supply chain action. We need to be able to intercept that food. We need to find linkages to be able to do that better, and a food donations policy can help us do that."

"The research shows that where food donation policies are introduced, two things happen. One, better food access is available to those who need it. And secondly, the climate impacts of food loss and waste are reduced. “

However, logistical challenges, costs, and liability concerns continue to hinder progress, leaving millions without reliable access to food.

ALSO READ: SA's hunger crisis: 'We have many solutions, but lack political will' - Mark Heywood

To listen to Du Plessis and Jenkin in conversation with 702's Bongani Bingwa, use the audio below: