The Consumer Goods Council of South Africa (CGCSA) hosted its inaugural Food Safety and Sustainability Seminar at Protea Hotel OR Tambo on Monday, bringing together government officials, businesses, academics, and civil society to tackle food waste. The event, held on the United Nations’ International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste, marked a shift from awareness to concrete action.
Gauteng MEC for Agriculture, Vuyiswa Ramokgopa, delivered the keynote address, sharing sobering statistics: 10 million tonnes of food is wasted in South Africa whilst one in five households goes to bed hungry. She highlighted the impact on children, who suffer from stunting because of poor nutrition. Other speakers included GS1 South Africa’s CEO Zinhle Tyikwe, Nestlé Executive Nicole Roos, and food safety expert Professor Lise Korsten from the University of Pretoria.
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The seminar drew support from the Department of Forestry, Fisheries, and Environment (DFFE), the Department of Trade, Industry, and Competition (DTIC), and the Department of Social Development. International partner WRAP also contributed expertise to the proceedings.
Matlou Setati, Executive: Food Safety & Sustainability Initiative at CGCSA, reflected on the journey to this point. “The CGCSA is truly appreciative of the collaborative efforts between government, the private sector, and other role players in the five years we have been working towards the sustainable development goals,” said Setati. She explained that the past five years focused on building foundations and raising awareness to ensure the sector knows how to target, measure, and mitigate waste.
“In the next five years we are building up to reaching the target of reducing food loss and waste by 50% by 2030. We are now looking to see impact in terms of the reduction in the facilities of the signatories currently reporting.”
One attendee, Mrs Omor Oyebola, founder and CEO of Tonop Food and Confectionary in Pretoria, highlighted how her business is contributing. Instead of preparing large quantities that risk being discarded, her company produces customised, pre-ordered meals for delivery. “Tyikwe’s words about data and accountability were a key takeaway,” she said.
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Looking forward, CGCSA announced plans to recruit key sectors identified in recent research.
“We are calling for critical sectors in tomatoes, fresh produce, dairy products, and other identified sectors to work with us,” Setati stated.
She noted the goal of achieving minimal or zero waste going to landfills whilst championing free distribution of food to those in need.
The consensus was clear: the time for solely discussing challenges has passed. The focus now is on implementing measurable initiatives, sharing best practices, and recognising the links between safe food practices, reduced waste, and sustainable resource management. The United Nations has called on countries to halve food waste by 2030 – a goal that would mean millions fewer South Africans going hungry and billions of rands saved.
