NPO determined to influence a food donations policy in SA
South Africa is one of the few countries that does not have a policy in place to govern safe food donations, and in a recent survey conducted by the Consumer Goods Council of South Africa, 76% of respondents indicated that they would donate food if the government provided official guidance on food safety laws related to food donations.
To combat South Africa’s food injustice, a non-profit food redistribution organisation, FoodForward SA (FFSA) has launched a petition to end hunger through the introduction of a food-donation policy. The draft policy recommends that surplus food be recovered and repurposed to address widespread food insecurity in South Africa. Through a network of 2,750 beneficiary organisations, FFSA provides this quality, edible surplus food to more than 950 000 vulnerable people in disadvantaged communities across the country.
There is a perception that surplus food is expired or inedible food, however, this is not true. Surplus food is generated due to various supply chain factors such as overproduction, over-ordering, and out-of-specification food items. Surplus food may not be good enough to sell but it is still good enough to eat – food that could be redirected or repurposed for those in need.
“A food-donations policy will allow us to recover more quality, within-date surplus food from farmers, post-harvest handlers, manufacturers, and retailers,” says Andy Du Plessis, MD of FFSA. “Once we have collected this surplus, we can redistribute the food to improve food security at household level and, hopefully, end malnutrition.”
FFSA’s food petition outlines the following suggestions:
- Amend the Food Act to include policies regarding food safety for food donations.
- Amend the date-labelling regulations of foods.
- Create a policy framework for liability protection for food donors and food-redistribution organisations.
- Provide tax incentives for food donors and government grants to food-redistribution organisations addressing food insecurity at scale.
With the introduction of a clear food donations policy, FFSA believes more supply chain representatives will be encouraged to donate their surplus food, instead of dumping or incinerating this good food.
“I would like to encourage every South African to sign our petition. We cannot end hunger alone. Solving our food security crisis in everyone’s interest. It’s time for us all to join forces and end hunger once and for all,” concludes Du Plessis.
Sign the food policy petition to support a South Africa without hunger