Millions of tonnes wasted while families go hungry
South Africa discards roughly 10 million tonnes of food each year — approximately a third of everything the country produces — with the bulk ending up in landfill sites. The scale of this wastage is deeply troubling given that research by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) shows 70% of South African households experience moderate or severe food insecurity at some point during the year.
In response, organisations dedicated to rescuing surplus food are making a significant impact. FoodForward SA (FFSA) works alongside farmers, manufacturers and retailers to recover edible food that would otherwise be discarded. The organisation supplies more than 2,500 beneficiary groups across the country from its national headquarters and warehouse in Landsdowne, Western Cape, distributing close to 21,000 tonnes of food annually. Through its network of 2,519 partner organisations, an estimated one million meals reach people in need every single day.
Andy du Plessis, FFSA's managing director, highlighted the paradox at the heart of the crisis. Despite significant advances in global food production, vast quantities of perfectly good food continue to be thrown away while countless children go without a proper meal, sometimes for days at a stretch.
"The food is there, but beyond the reach of those who need it most."
FFSA's model relies on delivering supplies to central collection points from which beneficiary organisations collect and distribute them within their communities. At Beautiful Gate in Philippi, food parcels form part of a mother and child nutrition initiative supporting pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers and children under the age of five. During a recent distribution, parcels included cornmeal, squash, soup mix, canned fish, soy mince, sunflower oil, peanut butter, jam, soup beans, rice, sorghum porridge and eggs.
Among FFSA's partner organisations is Women for Peace, which operates the Nobantu skills centre. The centre prepares 360 meals daily and produces a further 300 meals through its after-school programme, providing vital nutrition to community members who might otherwise go without.
From kitchen scraps to community gardens
Cape Town-based Ladles of Love, operating from Epping, has developed a distinctive approach to tackling food waste. Its Feed the Soil programme collects leftover and inedible food from households and businesses, converting it into nutrient-rich compost that is donated to community gardens growing organic vegetables. Founder Daniele Diliberto expressed pride in witnessing the cycle come full circle.
"It is special to see how food goes back into the soil where food is produced anew."
For a once-off fee of R200, the organisation supplies sawdust and bokashi containers for storing food scraps and leftovers. At the Blue Route shopping centre, Arthur Ganco handles weekly collections every Tuesday, swapping full containers of food waste for empty ones. The programme has already diverted more than 298 tonnes of waste from landfills, processing it into compost for organic vegetable cultivation.
Jan Maree, collecting his new container at the centre, summed up the sentiment driving many participants. He said the most important thing for him is that the waste they generate no longer ends up in landfills but is put to productive use. Everyone needs to play their part, he added. Fresh produce sold through the initiative comes from community farmers who also receive compost via the project, completing a sustainable cycle that transforms what was once rubbish into nourishment for South African communities.
South Africa's staggering food waste crisis directly threatens household stability across the country, particularly for the millions of families already struggling with food insecurity. Organisations recovering surplus food and converting scraps into compost for community gardens demonstrate scalable models that simultaneously address hunger, reduce landfill pressure and support local food production. If these initiatives attract broader corporate participation and policy support, they could meaningfully strengthen food security while creating sustainable livelihoods in vulnerable communities nationwide.
