A recent independent research study conducted by The Green House, a sustainability consultancy, concluded that South African foodbanking organisation FoodForward SA (FFSA) helped reduce carbon emissions equivalent to that emitted by 88,000 cars last year – by diverting and redistributing quality surplus food from the supply chain and redistributing it to its network of 2,750 beneficiary organisations across the country.
The nutritional and social benefits of repurposing surplus food are well known. However, there are also major environmental benefits. If food loss and waste were a country, it would span 1,4 billion hectares, which is approximately as big as Canada and India combined.
Reducing food loss and waste also helps cut greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by diverting food away from landfills and avoiding the need for additional food production.
The WWF estimates that total human caused GHG emissions would be reduced by 6-8% if humanity were to stop wasting food. In the US alone, the production of lost or wasted food generates 32.6 million cars’ worth of greenhouse gas.
The Green House quantified the GHG emission reductions from FFSA’s warehouse foodbanking operations and digital platform, FoodShare, between 2019 and 2022. Overall, FFSA operations between March 2019 and December 2022 are estimated to have saved 409 025 tonnes of CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalent) emissions.
– For every tonne of food recovered, 5,2 tonnes of greenhouse emissions were saved.
– Annual emission savings are equivalent to the emissions of more than 88,000 passenger vehicles driven for a year.
– Annual emission savings are equivalent to the emissions associated with the annual electricity usage of about 135,000 South African households.
Farmers, fresh produce markets, food manufacturers and food retailers routinely generate surplus food. Much of this ends up as waste. If diverted in time, a sizeable share of this food can instead be redirected for human consumption, helping to alleviate hunger, while saving the environment.
Much of the surplus food generated in South Africa ends up as food waste because few farms and food firms consistently identify, remove, or redirect it. It’s estimated that 10 million tonnes of food and beverages go to waste in South Africa every year – 34,3% of local food production.
“We are pleased to be making such a huge difference in terms of mitigating the environmental impact of food waste, while working with our food value chain partners and beneficiary organisations to alleviate hunger and malnutrition,” adds, Andy Du Plessis – Managing Director of FFSA.
“FoodForward SA was able to recover more than 22 000 tons of surplus food this past financial year, but this is still only a tiny fraction of what is possible.”
