Move to curb monumental food waste

Ten million tonnes.

That is how much food ends up in landfills in SA every year — and some of it just because it is “ugly” or misshapen.

Now, a major initiative to reduce food waste in the country — where 14-million people go to bed hungry every night — has been launched.

Thirteen companies have already signed up to the SA Food Loss and Waste Voluntary Agreement which is seen as a landmark step both ethically and in terms of resource efficiency.

The agreement was developed by the Consumer Goods Council of SA in partnership with the department of trade, industry and competition and the department of environment, forestry and fisheries.

Consumer goods council executive Matlou Setati said the issue was fundamental.

“It is estimated that in this country we waste just under a third of what is produced — up to 10-million tonnes of food — in the journey from farm to fork.

“This is equivalent to an estimated R60bn a year, or about 2% of gross domestic product.

“In a country where an estimated 14-million people go to bed hungry every night, this is a monumental unnecessary waste which cannot be allowed to continue.”

He said the agreement was the culmination of an approach five years ago by the trade and industry department, and was based on commitments from retailers and food manufacturers.

“The aim is to get commitments from these sectors to implement measures to minimise food waste in SA and thereby to help achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goal 12.3, to halve global food waste by 2030.”

He said food waste occurred at various points in the production-supply-consumption chain.

Reasons for this include blemished, or “ugly”, fruit and vegetables, and the need for greater tolerance in market specifications, as well as the accumulation of surpluses as a result of over-purchasing, in turn due to volume-buying incentives.

“Customer confusion over date labels, small-scale farmer loss through lack of cooling systems and barriers to donation are all problems that need to be overcome in order to reduce food waste.”

Signatories to the agreement were committed to a range of measures, including that they would develop and implement strategies to reduce food waste and partner with non-governmental organisations to redistribute edible surplus food, he said.

“They must also use non-edible food to generate energy and compost.”

Setati said all role players could make a difference.

“Farmers, retailers, manufactures, school feeding programmes, households, hotels, restaurants, fast foods operators — we are all responsible.”

Food waste was also a broader environmental issue, he said.

“Methane gasses from spoilt food is said to be more harmful to the environment than plastic pollution.

“Thus no food should be going to landfills as the environmental impact is huge.”

The co-chair of the council, Gareth Ackerman, said SA’s retailers, which sold 80% of food consumed in the country, were especially well positioned to make a difference.

“So I am glad to say we have received overwhelming support from our members, among them Massmart, Danone, Tiger Brands, Pick n Pay, Woolworths and Shoprite, who have already pledged to support this important initiative.

“Many more members are signing up because they believe it is the right thing to do.”

He said wasting food was unacceptable on multiple levels.

“It is not only morally wrong but also heartbreaking that millions of tonnes of food are thrown away, yet the food is perfectly safe for human consumption.

“The council is advocating for legislation that makes it possible for surplus food, which is still safe for human consumption, to be donated to the needy, as part of the national goal to avert food insecurity in SA,” he said.

Environment minister Barbara Creecy said the agreement had the potential to ensure more sustainable consumption patterns in the country.

“Water scarcity, land degradation and burgeoning food and packaging waste are some of the major environmental problems of our time.

“More responsible consumption of agri-produce will help to promote both food security and more sustainable agricultural practice,” Creecy said.

HeraldLIVE