NPO Uses Technology To Address Food Insecurity
South Africa produces enough food to feed its population, yet over one-third (10 million tons) is lost or wasted annually, costing the economy over R75 million and significantly contributing to environmental degradation. Food loss and waste are the third-largest emitters of greenhouse gases, accounting for approximately 10% of global emissions.
According to UNICEF’s 2024 report, 23% of South African children suffer from severe food poverty, and 37% from moderate food poverty. Christine Muhigana, UNICEF’s South Africa Representative, emphasises that severe food poverty can have lifelong consequences.
Addressing this issue is non-profit, food redistribution, FoodForward SA, they are dedicated to redirecting surplus food to those in need. By partnering with various food supply chain entities, FoodForward SA recovers surplus food and redistributes it monthly to nearly one million vulnerable individuals through 2,500 registered beneficiary organisations (BOs) nationwide.
FoodForward SA has launched FoodShare, a proprietary digital platform that introduced Virtual FoodBanking (VFB). VFB connects participating retail stores with BOs for regular surplus food collection, including remote areas. This technology enables timely and efficient redistribution of surplus food, significantly reducing food waste and costs for retail partners like Woolworths, Pick n Pay, Food Lover’s Market, and Spar. VFB integrates with USSD and WhatsApp, eliminating data costs for BOs.
How VFB Works:
- BOs within a 5km radius are connected to participating retail stores.
- A convenient collection slot is set up on FoodShare for both the donor and the BO.
- On collection day, FoodShare sends automated notifications to BOs to confirm collection.
- If confirmed, FoodShare sends an authorized code to the collector for food release. If not, the slot is offered to other BOs within a 5km radius.
- Once collected, BOs weigh and categorize the food using their cell phones or the web portal.
Currently, 1,250 BOs reaching 485,000 food-insecure individuals daily are connected to FoodShare. The platform involves five retail partners, with plans to include chain restaurants. Over 60% of the 22,000 tons of food recovered in the last financial year was from VFB.
FoodShare continues to evolve, incorporating applications like database management, offline BO monitoring and vetting, scheduling BO collections from warehouses, and geo-mapping.
As food production increases, so will food loss and waste, potentially surpassing the $1 trillion mark annually. Wasting food is not just a humanitarian or social issue but an economic and environmental imperative. Technology like FoodShare offers scalable solutions to complex challenges like climate mitigation and adaptation while addressing food insecurity and malnutrition.
