Food waste increases as people go hungry
Squandering valuable resources is harmful to the social fabric as well as to the environment and economy
It’s absurd to think that farmers today produce about 50% more food than is necessary to feed the world’s population yet hunger remains such a pervasive issue in so many parts of the world. SA is a net exporter of food, and yet millions in this country do not know where their next meal will come from. With one in five South African households deemed food insecure, it’s no less than tragic that about a third of food produced in SA — 9-million tonnes a year — goes to waste. Without diminishing the importance of efficient agriculture, it must be acknowledged that the issue of hunger in SA and elsewhere is closely linked to the issue of waste. Wasting food that could otherwise have met the needs of the poor is a missed opportunity to tackle social ills in a cost-effective and environmentally sound manner. While the causes of hunger and malnutrition are complex and varied and can by no means be attributed solely to food waste, we can’t ignore the fact that children are going to school hu...
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