Food banking fights poverty and hunger

Imagine a world without hunger. One third (10 million tonnes annually) of all food produced in South Africa is wasted or lost, while more than 14 million people go hungry each day. Established in 2009 to address widespread hunger in South Africa, FoodForward SA recovers quality edible surplus food from the consumer goods supply chain by connecting a world of excess to a world of need.

In partnership with various stakeholders, the organisation implements an ecosystem that uses surplus food as a catalyst for social change. All the surplus food is donated, and its food banking model is very cost effective, allowing FoodForward SA to facilitate the delivery of one meal for only R0.79, while the retail value of the donated food per kilogram is R46.25.

WHAT IS FOOD BANKING?

FoodForward SA receives surplus food in two ways: (1) Traditional foodbanking: The organisation’s trucks collect bulk surplus food from retailers, restaurants, manufacturers and farmers directly. (2) Virtual Foodbanking: FoodForward SA has developed FoodShare, a digital platform linking its beneficiary organisations virtually to retail stores and food outlets for the regular collection of surplus food. The tonnage information is sent via UUSD, so there are no costs to the users. FoodForward SA distributes its surplus food to 600 registered non-profit organisations who in turn collectively feed 250 000 people daily. At least 75 percent of its beneficiary organisations focus on education, children, skills development for youth, and women’s empowerment.

SECOND HARVEST

At the beginning of 2018, FoodForward SA implemented another surplus food strategy called Second Harvest, a specific outreach programme to farmers and growers. It collects surplus or out of spec fruit and vegetables, while farmers are harvesting. This has allowed the organisation to further diversify its offering to beneficiary organisations, while increasing the nutritional value of the food basket.

FoodForward SA also implements a national school breakfast programme for children in ECDs and primary and secondary schools.

Looking ahead, the organisation is exploring food processing alternatives using surplus agri produce. This will extend the shelf life for long term distribution, as well as facilitate new social enterprise initiatives that will create jobs, provide income opportunities and manage surplus food in a sustainable and innovative way.

FoodForward SA’s food banking model promotes 11 of the United Nation’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Its strategy into 2021 is to find lasting solutions to the challenges we face as a nation, which requires innovation, strategic partnerships, skills development and job creation.

KFC SA donates over 300 000 kilograms of surplus food

KFC South Africa has embarked on an initiative to change the quick service restaurant industry and the way brands deal with their surplus food in restaurants. This programme aims to reduce the volume of food dumped in landfills while combating climate change through the reduction of greenhouse emissions associated with food waste.

A MEAL WITHOUT protein is incomplete but is a harsh reality for millions of South Africans. The Harvest programme sees just under 200 KFC restaurants repurposing surplus chicken for people that need it most. Surplus food is defined by KFC as food that is perfectly fit and safe for human consumption but is surplus in nature due to the standards and procedures that exist within KFC restaurants. If cooked chicken has reached the internal holding time for sale to customers, KFC removes it and repurposes it for the Harvest programme.

The KFC Harvest bag in which surplus cooked chicken is stored and eventually transported

PARTNERSHIP WITH FOODFORWARD

SA Food wastage is not just an issue in Africa, but a global problem and the numbers are startling. According to a recent study by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), currently 1.6 billion tonnes of food, worth USD1.2 trillion is thrown away or lost annually and could rise by almost one third by 2030, resulting in two billion tonnes binned. A typical ‘low quality’ meal consists of mostly mealiemeal, bread or rice, with very little animal protein or vegetables to provide nutrients. In South Africa around 90 percent of overall waste is disposed of in landfills where it leads to the production of methane gas and carbon dioxide. Through a partnership with FoodForward SA, participating restaurants distribute frozen surplus chicken to the organisation who then give it to identified non-profit beneficiaries. Frozen surplus chicken is distributed using KFC’s transport partner Digistics to FoodForward SA depots on a weekly basis. Beneficiaries then collect the food and prepare nutrient-rich meals for people in need. In addition to the surplus frozen chicken in restaurants, KFC repurposes additional food and ingredients such as kidney beans, tortillas, relish and rice.

The process KFC uses to bread its chicken

ONE MILLION MEALS

To date since 2015, KFC has donated approximately 326 058kg of food that has been converted into an excess of one million meals. The environmental impact of this tonnage of surplus food has resulted in approximately 221 tonnes of CO2 and 9 700 tonnes of Methane (Ch4) not being produced in landfills. Both gasses have a serious impact on the environment, air quality, soil degradation and water quality.

‘In 2015 we amended our business process to accommodate the surplus food programme whilst maintaining our rigorous internal food safety procedures in restaurants,’ says Thabisa Mkhwanazi, public affairs director at KFC Africa. ‘We are so proud of the way our team members have immersed themselves in the spirit of championing the change by becoming part of the solution to reduce food waste in our business and in landfill, while improving the well-being for most South Africans benefiting from this programme,’ she adds.

Wayne Du Plessis from FoodForward SA comments: ‘We are excited about growing the partnership with KFC through its Harvest programme. It will allow us to increase access to edible nutritious food, including protein sources, to those who need it.’

FoodForward SA – www.foodforwardsa.org