Surplus food from farms and firms onto forks

The report argues that redirecting surplus food—edible food that is not 'true waste'—can alleviate hunger for 13 million South Africans while providing cost savings and tax benefits to food firms. It highlights that 95% of food waste in South Africa occurs before the consumption stage, with agricultural production (26%), processing/packaging (25%), post-harvest handling (24%), and distribution/retail (20%) being the primary sources. The document details the environmental impact, noting that Food Forward's donation of 4,400 tonnes of food in 2017/8 avoided 17,400 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions. It identifies barriers such as liability concerns and date labelling, while proposing solutions like 'Good Samaritan' legislation and the use of technology platforms like FoodShare to coordinate logistics.

• Food waste in South Africa is predominantly generated early in the value chain, with consumers accounting for only 5% of the total mass. The largest shares of waste occur in agricultural production (26%), processing and packaging (25%), post-harvest handling and storage (24%), and distribution and retail (20%).
• Redirecting surplus food provides significant climate mitigation benefits by avoiding methane and carbon dioxide emissions from landfills. For example, Food Forward's redistribution of 4,400 tonnes of surplus food in 2017/8 avoided 17,400 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions, with nearly 60% of these savings coming from avoided waste degradation emissions.
• There is a substantial untapped opportunity in the grocery retail sector. While Food Forward currently receives surplus food from only 6% of stores from two main retailers, the total potential across the national grocery retail sector is estimated at approximately 40,000 tonnes per year.
• Several barriers hinder the redistribution of surplus food, including concerns over brand protection, the risk of eroding traditional sales channels, and liability fears regarding health risks. Additionally, date labelling is often interpreted cautiously by firms, artificially shortening the usable life of food.
• The business case for firms to divert surplus food includes direct financial incentives such as income from secondary markets, tax benefits (up to 10% of taxable income via Section 18A receipts), and the avoidance of landfill gate fees, which can reach up to R558.90 per tonne at the Vissershok Municipal landfill site.
• Technology is increasingly used to coordinate the logistics of surplus food. Examples include Food Forward's FoodShare virtual platform, the Food for us app trialled in the Western Cape and Eastern Cape, and the use of WhatsApp groups in the Worcester Farm–ECD Surplus Food Programme.

APA

Rivett-Carnac, K., & von Bormann, T. (2018). Surplus food from farms and firms onto forks. WWF South Africa. https://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/wwf_2018_surplus_foods_from_farms_and_firms_onto_forks.pdf

Chicago

Rivett-Carnac, Kate, and Tatjana von Bormann. Surplus food from farms and firms onto forks. WWF South Africa, 2018. https://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/wwf_2018_surplus_foods_from_farms_and_firms_onto_forks.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Rivett-Carnac |first1=Kate |last2=von Bormann |first2=Tatjana |title=Surplus food from farms and firms onto forks |publisher=WWF South Africa |date=2018 |url=https://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/wwf_2018_surplus_foods_from_farms_and_firms_onto_forks.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rivettcarnac2018surplus, author = {Rivett-Carnac, Kate and von Bormann, Tatjana}, title = {{Surplus food from farms and firms onto forks}}, institution = {WWF South Africa}, year = {2018}, url = {https://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/wwf_2018_surplus_foods_from_farms_and_firms_onto_forks.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }