Johannesburg - 9 December 2020

The  Consumer Goods Council of South Africa (CGCSA) launched the South African Food Loss and Waste  Voluntary Agreement, which commits food manufacturers and retailers to reducing food waste to achieve the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goal to halve global food waste by 2030.

Nosh Food Rescue was proud to announce its involvement as Associate Signatory of the Voluntary Agreement and attended the webinar on the on 29th September.

The agreement was developed by CGCSA in partnership with the department of Department of Trade, Industry and competition (DTIC), the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries (DEFF) and was co-funded by the European Union through the SA-EU Dialogue Facility.

Researches show that about 10 million tonnes or 30% of local agricultural production in South Africa is wasted each year. This is equivalent to an estimated R60 billion a year or about 2% of GDP. This pattern corresponds to what we, Nosh Food Rescue, observe in the food rescue from different food providers and re-distributing to people in need.

The Agreement will focus on three core ‘pillars’:

• Develop a web-based food waste reporting system for the VAsignatories for effective monitoring;
• Map South African food waste hotspots to support the Voluntary Agreement; 
• andDevelop a South African food waste knowledge hub, which is an online platform geared towards information and best practise sharing

We must be pleased that major South African retailers and brands have agreed to cooperate with the government to reduce food waste and strive to achieve the #Envision2030 Goal 12; Danone, Tiger Brand, Pick n Pay, Woolworths and Shoprite.

The National Waste Management Strategy will guide government policy and strategic interventions for the waste sector and is aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of Agenda 2030 adopted by all United Nations (UN) member States. 

So what is different for us at NOSH? The drive and the agreement will raise awareness amongst public as well as within the industry on the true state of waste and its impacts on the environment and human health. Nosh has been involved in redistributing surplus food for a few years, however, this agreement recognizes that surplus food, which is still safe for human consumption, must and can be donated to the needy to prevent food insecurity in South Africa. Most importantly, the plan highlights the concept of extended producer responsibility. 

This means that the manufacturer is responsible for the entire life cycle of the product until the product can be recycled or reused. This is a matter that NOSH has addressed and worked on for many years with our farmers and partners. We strongly advocate that more responsible consumption of agricultural products will help promote food security and more sustainable agricultural practices.

As a reminded, the #Envision2030 Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production, key targets are the following:

• Implement the 10-year framework of programmes on sustainable consumption and production
• Achieve the sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources
• Halve per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels and reduce food losses along production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses
• Achieve the environmentally sound management of chemicals and all wastes throughout their life cycle, in accordance with agreed international frameworks, and significantly reduce their release to air, water and soil in order to minimize their adverse impacts on human health and the environment
• Substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse
• Encourage companies, especially large and transnational companies, to adopt sustainable practices and to integrate sustainability information into their reporting cycle
• Ensure that people everywhere have the relevant information and awareness for sustainable development and lifestyles in harmony with nature