On the first Saturday of November each year, South Africa celebrates Children’s Day, and on 20 November, globally, we commemorate World Children’s Day. These special days are used to highlight children’s rights, and the progress made towards the realisation of these rights. 8 Nov 2024 Read more Foodbanks may have started out as altruistic charitable non-profit organisations that distributed food to those who have difficulty purchasing enough to avoid hunger, but they have long since evolved to become key strategic partners in tackling some of the world’s most urgent challenges – food insecurity, malnutrition and climate change. 8 Oct 2024 Read more Food is a fundamental human right and essential for health and well-being. Although so much time, effort and resources go into making our food, more than one-third of all the food that is produced in South Africa is lost or wasted every year across our food system. Along with food waste, we face challenges relating to food and nutrition insecurity, as well as economic and environmental impacts. According to the United Nations, food systems provide livelihoods for at least four billion people and are the backbone of many communities and countries. 10 Sep 2024 Read more In July 2024 the United Nations (UN) released their annual report on the State of Food and Nutrition Security in the World. The report notes that “Conflict, climate variability and extremes, economic slowdowns and downturns, lack of access to and unaffordability of healthy diets, unhealthy food environments, and high and persistent inequality continue to drive food insecurity and malnutrition all over the world.” 13 Aug 2024 Read more The same food system that is feeding our population is also destroying our fragile planet. Food loss and waste is the third largest emitter of greenhouse gasses, accounting for around 10% of all global greenhouse gas emissions. The environmental and climate impacts of our food system are severe and becoming increasingly apparent. 15 Jul 2024 Read more In the past decade we have seen an increase in climate-related disasters globally and specifically across South Africa. 24 Jun 2024 Read more FoodForward SA (FFSA) has secured a mass donation of potatoes until the end of harvest season in October / November, equating to 3,840 tons which will provide over 15 million meals across the country. 21 Jun 2024 Read more The escalating crisis of household food insecurity affecting an estimated 30 million people demands immediate attention from the South African government. In response to this pressing issue, experts and stakeholders are urging the urgent formation of the long-awaited Food and Nutrition Security Council and the provision of catalytic funding to drive sustainable solutions. 21 May 2024 Read more Escalating household food insecurity experienced by an estimated 30 million people should be treated as a national crisis, requiring urgent action from government. 13 May 2024 Read more A humanitarian crisis can be defined as an event or series of events that represents a critical threat to the health, safety, security or wellbeing of a community or other large groups of people, usually over a wide area. 11 Apr 2024 Read more What initially started out as an idea in 2000 (as FeedBack Food Redistribution) to recover edible excess food from Cape Town’s film industry, morphed to become a national reality in 2009 (as FoodBank SA), and today, FoodForward SA (renamed in 2017) is the largest food redistribution organisation on the continent of Africa. 19 Mar 2024 Read more This year marks the 30th anniversary of South Africa’s first democratic elections. I specifically use the work 'marks' instead of celebrates, because there is very little to celebrate and much to bemoan. 16 Feb 2024 Read more Millions of children across South Africa grow up so disadvantaged from the day that they are born that it is virtually impossible for them to claw their way out of poverty, given the complex dimensions of poverty that severely impact people’s lives. 20 Nov 2023 Read more Today, 29 September, as we mark the United Nations' (UN) World Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste, it is crucial that we simultaneously reflect on the state of food (in)security and (mal)nutrition in South Africa. 29 Sep 2023 Read more My first day at FoodForward SA (then FoodBank SA) was quite memorable. I started in August 2013 with an overwhelming excitement to be part of a national organisation that promoted the recovery of edible surplus food from the food system to make sure that every person in South Africa had access to food, and to make a contribution to end hunger and malnutrition. I was eager to learn more, and I had several ideas to add value and advance the cause of food security across South Africa using foodbanking as a model. 1 Sep 2023 Read more There is more than enough pessimism across South Africa as we deal with multiple crises - load shedding, escalating food prices, higher interest rates, frustration with widespread government corruption and incompetence, and rampant crime to name just a few. 27 Jun 2023 Read more We are surrounded by mounting uncertainty and unpredictability. 2 Jun 2023 Read more As the cost-of-living crisis deepens across South Africa, more people are turning to debt to meet their monthly expenses. 10 May 2023 Read more FoodForward SA (FFSA) reports significant growth in its latest annual results, reflecting the success of its foodbanking model of recovering quality, edible, surplus food from the supply chain and redistributing it to verified organisations that serve the poor. 29 Mar 2023 Read more We recently visited the home of Sisanda Plum, in the township of Mfuleni, in the northern suburb of Blue Downs. Plum is 34 years old, has three children and is unemployed. Two of her children live with her grandmother in the Eastern Cape and the fathers of the two children in the Eastern Cape have both passed away. Her youngest daughter lives with her and her boyfriend. 10 Mar 2023 Read more South Africans are becoming increasingly negative regarding our growth prospects and quality of life. Hours of load shedding, daily. Regular interest rate hikes. High food and fuel prices. Rising inflation and cost-of-living-concerns, a weak economy, high unemployment, spiralling crime, and an inept government. The #Mzanzi optimism tank is depleted, and the tyres are deflated. The daily news is depressing, prompting many to consider prospects of living abroad. 3 Feb 2023 Read more There seems to be a mixed bag of reactions from the recent COP27 in Egypt, with some delegates taking the view that there was a lack of urgency given the growing climate crisis and its devastating effects, while others thought that the big win was the establishment of a loss and damage fund for countries that are vulnerable to climate crises (UN COP27 Decisions). 9 Dec 2022 Read more Although South Africa has a net surplus of food thanks to thousands of commercial and smallholder farmers, ironically, more than 1 in every 3 children lives in food poverty; a staggering 27% of children under 5 years of age suffer from chronic malnutrition, and half of child deaths in our hospitals are associated with malnutrition (Global Hunger Index 2022: SA). 9 Nov 2022 Read more Consumer price inflation data released by Stats SA recently show that annual inflation is up 7,8% in July from 7,4% in June. This increase is mostly driven by food prices, electricity, and transport costs. Workers earning lower wages have to prioritise transport and utilities, so that they can get to work every day and keep the lights on. 2 Sep 2022 Read more The surge in inflation appears to have no end in sight as the cost of goods and services continues to rise steeply. For those fortunate enough to have an income, managing the monthly budget is becoming more challenging, while the unemployed and those solely reliant on social grants for survival are experiencing unbearable hardship and anxiety, trying to put food on the table every day. 11 Aug 2022 Read more While 1994 represented a significant turning point in South Africa's political history, economic justice was not realised. For the most part, poor people remained poor, social conditions worsened, and political promises did not translate into a broad shift in terms of black peoples' income and wealth status. Now, 28 years later, due to cumulative economic hardship, low economic growth, high unemployment, food price inflation, global supply chain issues, the devastation from the pandemic, riots, floods, and droughts, the majority of South Africans remain at the periphery of our economic system, excluded, making it extremely difficult for them to eke out a sustainable livelihood. 11 Jul 2022 Read more Time for a different approach 7 Jun 2022 Read more The gross inequality across the length and breadth of South Africa is palpable, disturbing, and not sustainable for long term growth, national security, and social cohesion. Moreover, occurrences such as pandemics and natural disasters affect the poor the worst, leaving many people vulnerable, exposed, anxious, and desperate. 13 May 2022 Read more A preventable scourge with improved farm to fork surplus food recovery interventions. 5 Apr 2022 Read more It is often said that food is the only universal thing that really has the power to bring everyone together. While this may be true, depending on your social context, consider how the lack of food could impact a person, a family, a community, and a nation. Regrettably, far too many South Africans cannot reliably access the necessary food and proper nutrition they need. It's debilitating, which further reinforces poverty and inequality. 10 Mar 2022 Read more |
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