Arthur Ganco (left) picks up full bins and exchanges them for empty bins. The waste is used for compost. (Photo: Jeffrey Abrahams/ GroundUp)
By Jeffrey Abrahams, GroundUp
A third of all the food that South Africa produces, or about 10 million tonnes annually, ends up as waste in landfills. This is a frightening figure, especially when you consider that 70% of South African households have to face moderate or severe food insecurity during the course of a year according to research by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
To raise awareness and combat food waste, companies such as FoodForward SA (FFSA) and Ladles of Love recycle food which they then process and distribute to people in vulnerable communities.
FoodForward SA distributes food supplies to more than 2,500 beneficiary organizations nationwide. In Landsdowne in the Western Cape, donations are received at a warehouse that also serves as their national head office.
FFSA works with farmers, manufacturers and retailers to collect edible surplus food. They distribute almost 21,000 tons of food annually with the help of 2,519 organizations right across the country and it is estimated that more than a million meals are distributed daily through the partnerships.
The warehouse in Lansdowne, Cape Town, where food donations are received. (Photo: Jeffrey Abrahams/ GroundUp)
Andy du Plessis, FFSA’s managing director, says that despite remarkable progress in food production internationally, large amounts of edible surplus food are still thrown away daily. This while a large number of children still, sometimes for days on end, do not get a proper meal.
The food is there, but beyond the reach of those who need it most.
FoodForward SA works with farmers, manufacturers and retailers to find surplus food that is used to cook meals for communities. (Photo: Jeffrey Abrahams/ GroundUp)
FFSA delivers supplies to central collection points, where beneficiary organizations can pick them up. At Beautiful Gate in Philippi, food parcels are distributed as part of the organisation’s mother and child nutrition project to pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers and children under five.
On the day of the FFSA’s visit, each package contained cornmeal, squash, soup mix, canned fish, soy mince, sunflower oil, peanut butter, jam, soup beans, rice, sorghum porridge and a container of eggs.
One of FoodForward’s beneficiary organizations is Women for Peace. At their Nobantu skills center they provide 360 meals daily and they make an additional 300 meals as part of their after school program.
Nolitha Sibobosi, manager of the Vukuyibambe groentetuin in Khayelitsha. (Photo: Jeffrey Abrahams/GroundUp)
Ladles of Love, located in Epping outside Cape Town, takes a unique approach. Through its Feed the Soil program, leftover and inedible food is collected from homes and businesses and processed into compost, which is then donated to community gardens that grow organic vegetables.
Daniele Diliberto, founder of Ladles of Love, says it is special to see how food goes back into the soil where food is produced anew. For a one-off charge of R200, this organization provides sawdust and bokashi containers to store leftovers and food waste.
At the Blue Route shopping center Arthur Ganco collects containers full of waste food every Tuesday in exchange for empty containers. This waste, more than 298 tons so far, is also processed into compost for growing organic vegetables.
When Jan Maree received his new container at the centre, he said that the most important thing for him is that the waste they generate no longer ends up in landfills, but is used productively. Everyone has to do their part, he says.
The fresh produce sold is from community farmers who also get compost through the project.
This reported originally appeared on GroundUp and is used with permission.