EACH year, South African farmers, retailers and consumers discard millions of tons of food products, contributing to more than 10 million tons of food going to waste.
The South African GDP growth rate for the 1st quarter of 2023 was 0,4%; and the latest unemployment numbers show that 32.9% of South African are unemployed (42.4%, by the expanded definition). According to World Bank figures, about 55.5% of the population is living at the national upper poverty line and 40% of households in the country face food insecurity.
According to a report jointly published by the Department of Science and Innovation and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), about six million out of South Africa’s total population of 60.6 million people endure hunger, representing 11% of the population. Yet, about 10.3 million tons of food and beverages are wasted annually, making up about 34.3% of local food production.
“Food and catering businesses have a crucial role to play in tackling the intricate challenges intertwined with food waste, and supporting efforts to address the distressing reality that, while so much food goes to waste, we still have individuals going to bed hungry,” said Bradley Hall, from facilities management company, Servest Catering business unit.
Food waste raises a number of social and economic challenges, as food insecurity and sustainability are all interrelated. These include the loss of labour, capital, water, energy, land, and other resources used to produce food. It threatens the sustainability of food production. The United Nations estimates that lost and wasted food accounts for 38% of total energy usage in the global food system.
According to the UN Environmental Impact (UNEI) food losses at the farm level account for 15 – 25 percent of total food waste. Many factors contribute to food waste, including inefficient processing, drying and storage of food, a lack of access to markets, and others.
Hall said some of these challenges can be addressed by supporting local farmers.
“We have adopted several pro-local strategies. For example, we only use fresh produce from local farmers for remote clients. This means cost savings for clients, creates a market for local farmers to sell produce, and minimises food waste, while offering customers a true ground-to-fork experience. Effective meal planning can also contribute towards reducing food waste.”
Hall said catering businesses need to develop innovative practices to minimise food waste. There needs to be efficient inventory management on food, portion control, and creative menu planning to curtail the volume of surplus food that often ends up as waste.
“The reality is we currently have millions of people in the country going to bed hungry. Individuals and businesses have a crucial role to play in addressing this. We need to put effort into gathering food before its best-before-date and donating it to soup kitchens or homes for the needy before it goes bad. We can make a difference in building a more equitable food system.”
