Rising Costs, Diminishing Plates: Fighting the Food Crisis
As food prices skyrocket, a vast number of South Africans are finding it increasingly difficult to put food on the table
As interest rates climb, and the cost of living goes up one of the pressing issues is the rapid increase in food prices which leaves millions of South Africans hungry.
Food Waste
One-third of all food produced in South Africa is being lost or wasted along the food value chain. This represents a substantial missed opportunity to address malnutrition, food insecurity and reduce the environmental impact of food waste. As one in five South African households finds themselves begging for food the rising interest rates coupled with high food prices of basic items is negatively impacting South Africans at household level.
As the country battles with a range of crises that includes geopolitical instability, producers and retailers have warned that we may see further hikes in food prices across all categories. They note that increases in general food items such as bread, milk, and eggs will put tremendous pressure on a large group of already food-insecure and economically fragile people.
amending labelling guidelines
One crucial step we can take as a country in curbing food waste is by amending labelling guidelines to promote the donation of food past its “best before” date. The “best before” date is a recommended date that manufacturers provide as an indication of food in terms of taste and quality. Confusion regarding date labels ultimately contributes to more than 10 million tons of perfectly edible food being lost or wasted across our food system every year. Amending these guidelines would stop a large quantity of perfectly edible food from ending up in landfills.
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As food insecurity increases across the length and breadth of our country, we need to think differently about solutions. FoodForward SA, along with other social partners are advocating for a food system that is aware that food surpluses are inevitable along the value chain, but cognisant and responsive to timeously identify and redirect good quality edible surplus food to address food insecurity in South Africa.