As South Africa marks World Food Day, FoodForward SA is highlighting the opportunity to address two connected challenges: food insecurity and the loss of edible food. With an estimated 17.8 million people in South Africa experiencing food insecurity, recovering and redistributing quality surplus food offers a practical way to get more food to communities that need it.
The State of Household Food Insecurity in South Africa Report 2026, published by FoodForward SA in partnership with the University of Cape Town’s Southern Africa Labour and Development Research Unit (SALDRU), found that the severe hunger rate increased from 6.4% in 2019 to 8% in 2023, leaving approximately one million more people going days without food.
Addressing food insecurity requires more than innovation alone. It also means strengthening practical systems that connect quality surplus food with communities that need access to nutritious food.
“Food redistribution is a practical and cost-effective way to address the gap between quality surplus food and the communities that need access to nutritious food,” says Andy Du Plessis, Managing Director of FoodForward SA. “The opportunity lies in strengthening and scaling the infrastructure connects surplus food across the supply chain with organisations serving vulnerable communities. When we recover quality food before it goes to waste, we can turn an existing resource into a reliable source of nutrition.
FoodForward SA’s annual World Food Day packing event demonstrates what collective action can achieve. This year, over 400 volunteers packed 1,761 food boxes with contributions from SPAR, McCain, McDonald’s, Nedbank, Sanlam, Kuehne + Nagel, Quantum Foods, SITA, L’Oréal, One Farm Share, and Compendium Insurance Group. FoodForward SA will distribute the food through its national Beneficiary Organisation network.
The event forms part of FoodForward SA’s broader food redistribution model. Working with commercial farmers, manufacturers, retailers and quick service restaurants, FoodForward SA recovers quality surplus food and distributes it through a national network of more than 2,200 vetted Beneficiary Organisations.
FoodForward SA’s network reaches more than 862 000 vulnerable people daily, at a cost of R0.47 per meal. By keeping quality surplus food in circulation and diverting it from landfill, FoodForward SA also helps reduce the environmental impact of food loss and waste. In its 2025/26 reporting, the organisation recorded more than 106,600 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions avoided.
Scaling surplus food recovery requires collaboration across the food system, with redistribution embedded into standard supply-chain practices. By strengthening existing systems and working together, South Africa can make better use of available food resources, improve access to nutritious food and reduce food loss and waste.