New Data Highlights Urgent Need To Address Food Waste And Strengthen Food Security In South Africa

Each year, roughly 10 million tonnes of food is lost or wasted across South Africa’s food system, nearly one-third of total production. The cost of this waste is estimated at R61bn annually, equivalent to around 2% of GDP. Much of this surplus remains safe, nutritious, and fit for human consumption at the point it is discarded.

This unconscionable loss occurs in the same country where 70% of the population experiences moderate to severe food insecurity (FoodForward SA Household Food Insecurity Report 2026). It is a stark contradiction. This duality persists because our food system is fundamentally broken - shaped by deep structural constraints, including widening inequality, high unemployment, and persistently low economic growth.

“Unsellable” food is usually about market standards, timing, or logistics - not food safety. That’s why surplus food recovery is such a powerful solution: it redirects high-quality, edible, nutritious food to where it’s needed most instead of letting it go to waste.

This unsellable food presents a significant opportunity, offering a range of compelling benefits, including:

1. Improved food security by redirecting edible surplus to vulnerable communities
2. Significant cost savings across the supply chain through reduced waste disposal and inefficiencies
3. Lower environmental impact, particularly reduced greenhouse gas emissions and water usage
4. Enhanced nutrition outcomes by increasing access to diverse, quality food
5. Job creation and enterprise development within the recovery, logistics, and redistribution ecosystem
6. Stronger partnerships between the private sector, government, and civil society
7. Increased social impact at scale, turning excess into measurable community benefit
8. Better resource efficiency, ensuring food produced fulfils its intended purpose
9. Improved corporate ESG performance and compliance with sustainability targets
10. A more resilient and inclusive food system that reduces inequality and supports long-term development

FoodForward SA is a non-profit organisation that has been implementing this food recovery model for 17 years and has achieved a cost per meal of just R0,47 in their last financial year. This metric is calculated by dividing our total annual operating costs by the total tonnage of food distributed over the financial year.

What makes this model even more compelling is the sheer scale achieved relative to cost, which emphasises that partnerships and innovation can reduce food waste and address food insecurity at scale.

Here’s an overview of FoodForward SA’s high-level impact achieved in the past financial year:

The business case simplified

We can feed our entire population without harming the planet. Reducing and redirecting surplus food can deliver immediate value by addressing food insecurity at scale and at low cost. It enables nonprofits and governments to extend reach without proportionally increasing budgets.

Positioning surplus food as a valuable resource transforms the conversation from disposal to strategic utilisation. Reframing so-called ‘food waste’ as a high-value input is critical for creating a resilient, inclusive, and circular food system.

If South Africa were able to recover just 50% of the 10 million tons of food wasted annually, it could generate approximately 20 billion meals each year – equivalent to 50 million meals a day. At this scale, hunger and child malnutrition could be effectively eradicated – in our time!

When effectively redistributed, surplus food becomes a strategic asset for social protection and nutrition programmes. Achieving this requires a robust Food Donations Policy that is well-structured, properly coordinated, and effectively implemented by a multisectoral consortium. Realising this ambitious outcome demands committed political will and decisive leadership from the government.