More than 10 million tons of good quality food is either lost or wasted in South Africa every year, while nearly 30 million people face moderate to severe food insecurity each month. Reducing food loss and waste is the third most cost-effective solution for fighting climate change. Therefore, recovering surplus food not only addresses food insecurity, it also saves the environment.
Non-profit food redistribution organisation, FoodForward SA (FFSA) has launched a new fit-for-purpose foodbanking facility in Cape Town, Western Cape. The 1 600m2 under-roof facility will better position the NPO to connect the world of surplus to a world of need by scaling up and increasing its reach and impact across South Africa.
“The new facility is an evolution of how we innovatively address food insecurity, allowing for larger warehouse space and cold chain capability, while also having our national head office under the same roof,” says Andy Du Plessis, Managing Director of FFSA. “This impetus will allow for further scaling up of our unique foodbanking model, making sure that we reach millions more suffering from malnutrition and severe hunger.”
FoodForward SA addresses widespread food insecurity using a unique model that involves the in-time recovery of quality, edible surplus food from the consumer goods supply chain and redistributes it to local organisations that implement feeding programmes in under-served communities. They provide this edible surplus food to 2,750 charities within its national network every month, reaching 950,000 vulnerable people daily with healthy, nutritious food.
“FFSA and the work that they do is essential to the health, dignity, and wellbeing of our most vulnerable communities,” said Alan Winde, Premier of the Western Cape, who visited the facility recently. He added, “I am encouraged and impressed by the significant impact and progress they are making to build a #ZeroHunger South Africa. With this new facility, I look forward to seeing FoodForward SA further expanding its operations, especially in the Western Cape, to continue helping those in need.”
