Protea Hotel OR Tambo hosts landmark gathering driving South Africa towards 50% food waste reduction by 2030
Ekurhuleni, 29 September – The Consumer Goods Council of South Africa (CGCSA) hosted its inaugural Food Safety and Sustainability Seminar at Protea Hotel OR Tambo on Monday, marking a pivotal moment in South Africa’s fight against food waste. The event, held on the United Nations’ International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste, brought together an unprecedented coalition of government officials, businesses, academics, and civil society united in their commitment to move from awareness to concrete action.
The seminar drew high-level government support, with participation from the Department of Forestry, Fisheries, and Environment (DFFE), the Department of Trade, Industry, and Competition (DTIC), and the Department of Social Development. Gauteng MEC for Agriculture, Vuyiswa Ramokgopa, delivered an inspiring keynote address that set a collaborative tone for the day’s discussions and reinforced the urgent need for unified progress. The MEC shared 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, making the case for urgent action on food waste and food security. 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. International support was also evident, with WRAP, the CGCSA’s global funding partner, contributing valuable expertise to the proceedings.
Matlou Setati, Executive: Food Safety & Sustainability Initiative at the Consumer Goods Council of South Africa, reflected on the journey that brought stakeholders to this critical juncture. “The CGCSA is truly appreciative of the collaborative efforts that have transpired between government, the private sector, and other role players who provide solutions to the efforts to reduce food loss and waste in the five years in which they have been progressing towards the sustainable development goals,” said Setati. She explained that the past five years have been focused on building foundations and raising awareness to ensure the sector knows how to target, create plans, and measure waste effectively to mitigate against hotspots where waste is created. “With that, we are saying that in the next five years we are building up to reaching the target of reducing food loss and waste by 50% by 2030. Now, with all the research that we have done and all the preparation from the sector that has happened, we are heavily looking to see impact in terms of the reduction that we are seeing in the facilities of the signatories that are currently reporting in this effort,” Setati emphasised.
One of the attendees, Mrs Omor Oyebola, founder and CEO of Tonop Food and Confectionary in Pretoria, highlighted how her business is contributing to this shift. Instead of preparing large quantities of food that risk being discarded, her company produces customised, pre-ordered meals for delivery. This approach reduces food waste whilst still meeting customer needs. For her, Tyikwe’s words about data and accountability were a key takeaway from the seminar. Looking forward, the CGCSA announced plans to recruit participation from key fresh produce players identified as lacking in recent research. “We are scaling and calling for more key critical sectors in tomatoes, fresh produce, dairy products, and other various identified sectors to come and work with us,” Setati stated. She expressed inspiration at seeing companies with action plans already in place for reducing food loss and waste, noting the ultimate goal of achieving minimal or zero waste going to landfills whilst championing the free distribution of food products to those in need. The waste problem in South Africa occurs across the entire supply chain, from farm to fork. On farms, inadequate storage, limited cold chain infrastructure, and poor road conditions mean crops often spoil before they reach the market. During manufacturing, food is lost due to inaccurate demand forecasting and rigid quality specifications. At retail, products are removed from shelves once they pass a certain date, despite being perfectly edible. In households, poor meal planning and leftovers left too long in the fridge contribute significantly to the problem. Research shows one in five fruits and vegetables, still fit for consumption, never make it to the plate.
The dominant theme throughout the day was the palpable commitment from all sectors represented. The consensus among participants was clear: the time for solely discussing food safety and sustainability challenges has passed. The seminar established three critical priorities moving forward: implementing concrete, measurable initiatives that address immediate systemic vulnerabilities and waste across the supply chain; establishing open channels for transparently sharing successful methodologies and innovations to accelerate industry-wide improvement and recognising the fundamental linkages between safe food practices, reduced food loss and waste, and sustainable resource management to ensure long-term food security and economic vitality for South Africa. The event also reminded attendees that this is not just an industry issue but everyone’s responsibility. Households contribute a significant share of waste, which means small daily changes at home can have a major impact. Planning meals before shopping, storing food correctly, understanding date labels, and eating leftovers are practical steps that make a difference. Globally, the United Nations has called on all countries to halve food waste by 2030.
For South Africa, achieving this goal would mean millions fewer going hungry, reduced greenhouse emissions, stronger resilience to climate shocks, and billions of rands saved. Food has always been a symbol of togetherness in South Africa, bringing families together around pap and stew and uniting friends at a braai. To protect that tradition, every meal must be treated as precious. The CGCSA extended its sincere gratitude to all speakers, panellists, and attendees for their commitment to making the inaugural event a resounding success. With comprehensive representation from across the food supply chain and strong buy-in from government, private sector, civil society, and academia, South Africa’s food industry has signalled its collective readiness to tackle systemic issues and build a more sustainable, food-secure future for all South Africans
