In the 2025 Global Report on food crises released in May, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres expresses deep concern, describing the report as “another unflinching indictment of a world dangerously off course. Hunger and malnutrition are spreading faster than our ability to respond, yet globally, a third of all food produced is lost or wasted. Hunger in the 21st century is indefensible.”
The report highlighted that:
- More than 295 million people face high levels of acute food insecurity today
- This is the sixth consecutive increase in food insecurity
- Food crises and nutrition crises often overlap
- The drivers of acute food insecurity are interlinked and mutually reinforcing
- Africa is the worst-affected continent and requires the most resources needed to address these challenges.
Weather extremes, economic shocks, and conflicts were the main drivers of increased food insecurity. The report calls on governments, businesses and decision makers to “heed the clear warnings of the report and summon the necessary funding, innovations, and global solidarity to build a food secure and climate-resilient future.”
Although South Africa is the largest economy on the continent and better positioned than many of its African counterparts, we remain the most unequal society in the world. Unemployment is unacceptably high, and we continue to face some of the highest rates of child malnutrition and mortality globally, this, despite producing more than enough food to nourish our entire population.
Although South Africa produces more than enough food to feed its entire population, more than 10 million tons of mostly edible surplus food is lost or wasted across our food system, while household food insecurity remains alarmingly high, and child malnutrition is rising sharply – a clear indication that our food system is fundamentally broken.
In 2012, the cost of wasting surplus food in South Africa was estimated at R61.5bn per year – equivalent to 2.1% of the country’s GDP at the time. Adjusting for inflation alone, this figure would rise to at least R116.4bn in 2025. This staggering cost highlights the significant financial benefits of reducing food loss and waste in South Africa. Addressing this issue is not only a moral and environmental imperative – it’s an economic one too.
Food systems transformation holds the solutions to major interlinked challenges, including climate change, biodiversity loss, land degradation, food insecurity and all forms of malnutrition, diet-related diseases, inequality and poverty.
According to the IFPRI’s 2025 Global Food Policy Report, food systems are vital economic engines, providing livelihoods for nearly half the world’s population and generating significant public and private revenue. However, these systems are under increasing strain due to climate change, especially in tropical regions where poverty is deepest and productivity growth is slowest. The report warns that the world’s poor and vulnerable face escalating risks from more frequent extreme weather events, rising volatility in food production, and unstable prices, all of which undermine food security and economic development.
Climate Scorecard, an organisation focused on promoting emission-reducing actions in major greenhouse gas-emitting countries, caution that temperatures in South Africa are increasing at a rate faster than the global average. They warn that urgent action is needed to adapt to climate change, as the challenges it presents are becoming more severe and pressing.
Food loss and waste contribute approximately 8 to 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions, making this a critical area for climate action. Foodbanks offer a powerful solution. By rescuing surplus food and redistributing it to people in need instead of letting it go to landfills, the food banking model not only fights hunger but also significantly reduces emissions.
- Release the revised food loss and waste reduction strategy: The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) must urgently publish the second draft of the Food Waste Reduction Policy and set more ambitious food loss and waste reduction targets aligned with 2030 goals.
- Include food loss and waste reduction targets in updated climate commitments: DFFE must explicitly incorporate food loss and waste reduction measures in South Africa’s updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement, with clear actions and measurable targets through 2030.
- Publish the food and nutrition security plan: The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) must release the long-overdue draft of the food and nutrition security plan for public consultation without further delay.
- Draft a white paper for a food donations bill for South Africa: The office of the president, together with all relevant government departments, should urgently collaborate to draft and introduce a food donations bill for South Africa. Such legislation should aim to significantly reduce food loss and waste, provide clear incentives to encourage surplus food donations, and amend existing liability frameworks that currently discourage food donors. By creating an enabling legal environment, the bill can unlock a greater volume of safe, nutritious food for redistribution to those in need – turning potential waste into a vital resource in the fight against hunger and climate change.
Increased temperatures, climate variability, and extreme weather events are placing growing strain on our environment and disproportionately impacting vulnerable communities. The time to act is now, to ensure that future generations can not only live on this planet, but thrive on it, in a way that is both sustainable and regenerative.
