KFC’s secret recipe is out – the one the world really needs

KFC Africa’s big secret is out, and no, it’s not the blend of 11 herbs and spices, it’s a recipe of hope to end child hunger - open-sourced globally for sharing and scaling in honour of World Food Day.

Unveiled yesterday (7 October) at The Biggest Hunger Hack in Johannesburg, KFC Africa has, for the first time ever, open-sourced the  blueprint for Add Hope, its 16-year-old initiative that is also South Africa’s largest non-governmental feeding programme.

What began as a hackathon will now have global reach. During the past week, 60 of the country’s smartest young minds, in partnership with the University of Johannesburg, have been supercharging the Add Hope recipe to make it even more impactful.

KFC Africa Head of Corporate Affairs Andra Nel says Gen Z in Africa is key to ending hunger. “They truly get it because they’ve lived or witnessed it. They also understand technology, community and systems thinking better than most. So we gave them our blueprint and challenged them to turn it into fresh solutions for even more hope.”

Nel says the Add Hope team was blown away by the ideas that emerged from the hackathon. “These ideas and the blueprint will make it easier for others to explore the recipe, share it and scale it. That’s a great way to mark World Food Day on 16 October and honour its theme of global collaboration.”

Biggest Hunger Hack

Add Hope’s success is itself rooted in the power of collaboration, starting with KFC customers adding R2 donations to KFC’s own significant contribution, and ending with meals being prepared for vulnerable children at thousands of feeding centres nationwide. A R1 billion milestone was reached last year, with over R600 million donated by the public and R400 million by KFC. 

 “We know collaboration is the only way to scale this fight even further and address the great need that still exists, which is why we invited leaders from business, government and civil society to join us at The Biggest Hunger Hack,” says Nel. 

 “We’re hoping other organisations will heed our call to collaborate with us to scale what already works. Just off this campaign, new partnerships with companies like McCormick, Digistics, Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa, Foodserv, Tiger Brands, CBH and Nature’s Garden,  to name a few, will give us a flying start.”

The Biggest Hunger Hack was hosted at the University of Johannesburg, and Vice-Chancellor and Principal Professor Letlhokwa Mpedi said UJ was thrilled to partner with KFC on an initiative in which young people used their Fourth Industrial Revolution expertise to tackle child hunger.

“This collaboration is a prime example of how young innovators, equipped at the university, can develop practical, scalable solutions for societal impact. We look forward to seeing the tangible difference their ideas will make in alleviating hunger through innovation.”

Poverty to blame

Panellists at The Biggest Hunger Hack outlined the scale of the child hunger challenge and said a society-wide approach was the best option for a sustainable solution. 

Dr Imtiaz Sooliman, founder of Gift of the Givers, said poverty is the number one problem in South Africa. “When you go to a disaster site, the first thing people ask for is food. That’s when you realise that that hunger is not two hours old, it’s been there for days.”

South Africa is one of 20 countries responsible for two-thirds of severe poverty worldwide, according to Siya Leshabane of UN Women. “Hungry children struggle to focus and retain information. Poor nutrition leads to fatigue. It’s a struggle for children to take themselves out of that whirlwind,” she said.

Luvuyo Sandi, SED business and fund manager, Kagiso Trust, said hunger is not an isolated problem. “The reason this child is hungry has to do with household income issues, and beyond that the reason is unemployment or being unemployable. So our approach is to try and address that by advancing skills development and education.”

Dr Marc Aguirre, country director at HOPE worldwide, described child hunger as a national development crisis. “We know it's impacting our GDP by about 10%. Stunting is costing this country billions of rands, and so we need to look at addressing child hunger as an investment in the future, not only in the children of our country.”

Individual feeding schemes could only do so much, said Aguirre. “We need to move from food distribution to integrated systems and from projects to partnerships. How do we work as an ecosystem? How do we move from feeding to flourishing?”

Kefilwe Moalosi, nutrition and food safety specialist at the African Union Development Agency, agreed, saying: “We really need partnerships to help us promote investment in hunger and malnutrition.” 

Sooliman said there was no shortage of money to address hunger, “but it's never going to be enough for the need in the country”. What is required now is collaboration and innovative thinking.

Gen Z solution

Nel says ideas from the hackathon teams will be tested over the next few months, and a collaborative business-led proposal will be prepared for the National Convention early in 2026 – a Gen Z solution to child hunger from KFC Africa. Potential seed funding of up toR1 million could be allocated to the development of the winning solution.

“This is the first time a major South African corporation has open-sourced a successful social impact model, potentially revolutionising how businesses tackle social challenges,” she says.

“We’re not just feeding children any more, we’re feeding a movement with the potential to end child hunger in countries forever. This is the secret recipe the world really needs.”

• Read more on the Add Hope recipe at https://addhope.kfc.co.za/

#KFCAddHope #AddHopeHackathon

Image Captions:

• KFC Add Hope Hackathon Panel 2.2: Devi Sankaree Govender (Moderator),Nolo Thobejane (Chief People, Culture and Purpose Officer, KFC Africa, Conny Sethaelo (Corporate Communications and Public Affairs Director for East and Southern Africa, Nestlé), Luvuyo Sandi (SED Business and Fund Manager at Kagiso Trust), Dr Imtiaz Sooliman, (Founder at Gift of the Givers), Professor Naudé Malan (Associate Professor in Business Management within the College of Business and Economics at the University of Johannesburg)

About KFC Africa

KFC has been part of Africa’s story since 1971, when the first restaurant opened in Johannesburg. Today, with more than 1,400 restaurants across 22 sub-Saharan countries, it stands as the continent’s leading quick service restaurant brand and home of the Original Recipe® fried chicken that millions love. 

At KFC Africa, we feed more than hunger, we feed potential. Every meal served is part of a bigger purpose: creating a seat at the table for everyone and ensuring that potential isn’t just seen, it’s nurtured. That commitment comes to life through initiatives that make a measurable difference. Our Streetwise Academy, backed by Services SETA accreditation, equips team members with skills to thrive across frontline leadership, HR and operations, achieving a 75% promotion and retention rate that proves the power of investing in people. Our Add Hope programme delivers over 30 million meals to vulnerable children each year, while Mini Cricket, South Africa’s largest grassroots sports programme, reaches more than 120,000 young players guided by 13,000 coaches. Beyond food, initiatives such as the Ikusasa Lethu scholarships and youth empowerment programmes across Africa open pathways to education, livelihoods, and brighter futures.

With over 40,000 team members powering our business, KFC Africa is proud to be an employer of choice, cultivating careers, fairness, and integrity while serving millions daily. Because when individuals rise, families strengthen. Communities grow. Nations transform. That’s the undeniable impact we are proud to serve.

About KFC Add Hope

Add Hope isn’t just spare change, it’s real change. Every time you add just R2 to your KFC meal, you’re helping a child in South Africa get the nutritious food they need to learn, grow, and thrive. Here’s the kicker: KFC has donated over R400M in the last 16 years.  Since 2009, together we’ve raised over R1.2 billion, serving up more than 30 million meals every year through thousands of feeding centres and non-profits. That’s millions of kids with the energy to show up at school, focus, play, and dream bigger.

But Add Hope doesn’t stop at full stomachs. It opens doors. It gives kids the chance to play through Mini Cricket, offers high school scholarships through Ikusasa Lethu, and levels up futures with the Streetwise Academy. Add Hope is one of South Africa’s most impactful social purpose brands. Because this isn’t just about food. It’s about feeding potential.  More at addhope.co.za.