Food waste in a country where millions are hungry should be a crime! That is why NOSH food rescue started collecting food from grocery stores to feed those in need.
Johannesburg, South Africa (14 October 2020) – The 16th of October is World Food Day and we thought we would highlight a few food-based charities leading up to the day. Today we will look at NOSH, an organisation that helps prevent food waste by diverting food from supermarkets to charities in need.
Sell-by dates on food are what shops go by when restocking the shelves. Some stores will mark down the price on the last day of the sell-by date and then if they don’t get sold, bin it… Yes, that is correct, food gets sent to landfill even if it is perfectly fine because of sell-by dates.
In South Africa, wasting food in such a manner is gutwrenching. We have millions of people living below the poverty line, going to bed hungry at night. There are charities that struggle to stay open and are in desperate need of food to help feed the needy.
NOSH food rescue NPC was started to be the middleman between retail food waste and the people of South Africa in need of food. Currently, the organisation works on a small scale in the Johannesburg area but hopes to grow and spread across the country, saving food and people in one swoop.
One of the initiatives the charity has done over the last two years has been to host odd plate dinners. These are run once a month and the funds raised are used to further support charities.
“You’ll be treated to a spectacular three-course (or more) meal expertly prepared and exquisitely presented by a team of professional chefs and foodies, aided by culinary students from various cooking schools, using salvaged produce that would otherwise have gone to waste. You will see that even unloved produce, in the hands of skilled and talented culinary professionals, can shine and delight!”
The food rescued from landfill is all safe to eat and a great eye-opener to how much can be done even if food reaches its expiry date.
If you would like to find out more about NOSH or to join their first Odd Plate Dinner post-lockdown, you can find out more here.
We love that there are organisations out there working to rescue food and make sure people don’t go hungry!