Food Forward SA saves food from South African retailers, preventing it from ending up in landfill and redistributing it to organisations in need.
South Africa – How often do you check the sell-by dates on the food you buy? Usually right? Then how often do you think of what happens to that food when it reaches its sell-by date? Some stores will reduce the prices by up to 50% a day or so before to try and move the stock. Whatever isn’t sold, that ends up being thrown away.
Yes, you read that right. Food waste is one of the greatest atrocities in this world and even more so here in South Africa where poverty is so rife, and children go to bed hungry.
Food Forward SA was founded in 2009 to address the hunger of South Africans. According to them, over one-third of food in stores is wasted and ends up in a landfill.
Food Forward SA came up with a plan to tackle the waste problem and built relationships with the major food supply stores. Through these relationships, they have secured donations which they distribute to hundreds of organisations.
The food is safe and securely distributed to soup kitchens, shelters, feeding schemes and more. All the food is of good quality and edible.
The 600 organisations they distribute the food to, feed nearly a quarter of a million South Africans.
This year, as part of their 10th birthday celebration, the organisation has teamed up with many different companies. For example, for every like they get on their Facebook page, Kerry Gold South Africa will donate R1.00 to their fund. Mid-July they had received over 7000 new likes.
For Mandela Day the organisation held a massive food drive at several Pick n Pay stores across the country. The food drive ran from the 24th of June to the 14th of July. The food was then taken to the Cape Town International Convention Centre to be sorted on Mandela Day. The goal was to collect enough food for 2 million meals.
What started as a way to save food from being dumped has turned into a lifesaving way to support people in need across South Africa. You can follow their journey via their Facebook page here and see more of the work they do.
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