INNOVATIONS TO ADDRESS HUNGER

PARTNERING FOR NEW SOLUTIONS TO AN OLD-AGE PROBLEM

Corporates and nongovernmental organisations are embracing partnerships and new technologies to feed the hungry. By ANTHONY SHARPE

Although access to food in South Africa has improved gradually through the past two decades, according to StatsSA’s General Household Survey 2018, 11.3 per cent of individuals and 9.7 per cent of households were vulnerable to hunger in 2018. And COVID-19 has only made the situation worse.

“At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, corporates immediately recognised that to address the looming public health crisis, they would need to step in and contribute beyond the realm Tanya Dos of traditional Santos corporate social investment,” says Tanya Dos Santos, global head of sustainability at Investec. While this helped stem the tide, it was a double-edged sword, explains Dos Santos. “Corporates may have diverted money away from their planned programmes to support the short-term needs of the pandemic. Many charitable sponsorships were withdrawn and ad hoc public donations evaporated, putting several smaller charities under immense pressure to continue their good work.”

DID YOU KNOW?

The Centre of Excellence in Food Security and the University of Pretoria are working with European partners on an initiative called InnoFoodAfrica, which aims to address bottlenecks in African food supply chains including limited access to urban and international markets, low productivity and affordability.

FoodForward SA has distributed more than 6 500 tonnes of food during lockdown.

PUTTING YOUR BEST FOOD FORWARD

Dos Santos says Investec recognised the needs within their communities and worked with government and nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) to implement solutions. “Localised work, at a community level, is most effective. Our partnerships are built on long-term relationships. We know these partners well – we seldom just donate and leave.”

Investec partnered with FoodForward SA, which recovers surplus food from the supply chain and distributes it to those in need, explains Dos Santos. “We chose FoodForward SA for several reasons, but largely because of the depth and scale of the organisation, which can reach many of the communities in the regions where our offi ces are located.”

GIVING BACK THROUGH LOYALTY PROGRAMMES

Discovery has partnered with Woolworths and Gift of the Givers, enabling members to donate Discovery Miles with Vitality MoveToGive to provide food and toiletries for those in need. Makro’s mRewards programme allows customers to donate food through Gift of the Givers and the Izzi Trust, a holiday feeding scheme for learners. Also supporting hungry children is the Lunchbox Fund, to which Checkers and Shoprite Xtra Savings members can donate. Pick n Pay Smart Shopper members can donate at the till to Feed the Nation, a feeding scheme for children, the elderly, homeless people and the disabled.

Sources: InnoFoodAfrica

She says FoodForward SA’s infrastructure and footprint has enabled it to distribute more than 6 500 tonnes of food (equating to 26 million meals) to 475 000 benefi ciaries since the start of lockdown last year. This is made possible through a network of around 1 000 registered benefi ciary organisations that have the relationships and know-how to ensure that the most vulnerable are reached.”

MAKING AMAZING MAIZE

Distributing healthy food is crucial: an issue being addressed by the Department of Science and Innovation – National Research Foundation’s Centre of Excellence in Food Security (CoE-FS).

“People tend to eat what is available and affordable,” says Professor Naushad Emmambux of the University of Pretoria, who works with the CoE-FS. “If you look at cheap food, it’s mostly Professor Naushad energy-dense foods. Emmambux And people who work all day and don’t have time to prepare healthy meals will also likely go with fast food, characterised by high levels of carbohydrates, sugar and fat.”

Emmambux and others are working on innovations in manufacturing healthy, nutrient-dense food – what he calls SMART (safe, marketable, affordable, ready-toeat, tasty) food. One such project involves making the starch in maize more resistant to digestion, thus lowering the glycaemic index. Another involves developing complementary foods such as sweet potato porridge for babies, for whom maize meal is not ideal. “If something like maize meal is readily available and affordable, people will buy for the whole family. They won’t think to buy another food for the baby,” says Emmambux. “So we need to explain that it’s not advisable to give maize meal to babies 6–24 months old as complementary food.”

The technologies being developed should be adopted by SMEs, Emmambux says. “With these technologies, we need to ensure it is fi nancially feasible to make products at a small- or medium-scale, which can then be affordable.” IMAGES: SUPPLIED

IMPROVING SOUTH AFRICA’S

FOOD SECURITY Unathi Mhlatyana, MD at McCain Foods South Africa, unpacks the results of the 2020 Global Food S outh Africa ranked 69 out of 113 countries in the recently released 2020 Global Food Security Index (GFSI) report after being ranked two places higher last year. The country’s top score was detection equipment can also identify foreign material and remove it from the product. The Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) Security Index (GFSI) report It is, therefore, alarming that the index scores South Africa below 50% for natural resources and resilience. At McCain, we procure our 72.4% for food quality and safety, followed by defi nes a food safety culture as “shared values, products from over 100 farmers who plant over affordability at 63.1%, availability at 49.5% and beliefs and norms that affect mindset and 4 500 hectares of potatoes annually. As such, the lowest score at 49% for natural resources behaviour towards food safety in, across and we have made it our mission to improve our and resilience. throughout an organisation”. As such, it is sustaintability practices; clear goals have been set,

Positively, South Africa ranked number important to emphasise that all stakeholders are which need to be achieved by 2025. one out of the sub-Saharan countries when it responsible for food safety; this must underpin However, like food safety, protecting our came to the quality and safety of food. This is the culture of any food company. Therefore, environment is everyone’s responsibility. This incredibly important to McCain with its food staff should be regularly trained and all parties is why we work with our growers to implement being harvested locally at its peak and then in the supply chain need to ensure compliance. sustainable regenerative agriculture practices snap-frozen within hours to maintain freshness This is why McCain conducts unannounced as well as transferring technologies such and lock in nutrients. independent third-party inspections of facilities as integrated pest management, decision

Although freezing is a safe way of preventing as well as audits of food safety and quality support systems for disease management, soil bacterial growth and enzyme activity, there are management systems. management, seed cutters and storage practices. still challenges that need to be addressed in When it comes to affordability and availability, If we are to improve our ranking in next the industry to ensure the utmost food safety we know that the COVID-19 pandemic has year’s GFSI report, it is key for our industry to and quality. One hurdle is temperature abuse, exacerbated hunger and malnutrition in the band together and further improve food safety which happens when there are breaks in the country. With this in mind, it is crucial for the and quality compliance, establish ways to end cold chain resulting in the product undergoing public and private sector to work together to hunger in our country and commit to sustainable cycles of defrosting and refreezing, leading minimise the plight of those suffering. One agriculture practices to ensure that we can to quality deterioration and in extreme abuse, way to do this is by minimising food waste and provide for future generations. mouldy products. establishing projects to deliver nutritious food to

To produce safe food products, robust food those that need it. safety programmes that ensure compliance None of this would be possible without our with physical, chemical and microbiological thriving agricultural industry in South Africa. It is factors are vital. Along with this, it is essential important to note, however, that planet-friendly to establish temperature abuse projects to farming practices are key to ensure that our understand, detect and mitigate the risks biodiversity is protected and we can continue related to this. Optical sorting and defect to grow and produce food for the country.

“IT IS CRUCIAL FOR THE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTOR TO WORK TOGETHER TO MINIMISE THE PLIGHT OF THOSE SUFFERING. ONE WAY TO DO THIS IS BY MINIMISING FOOD WASTE AND ESTABLISHING PROJECTS TO DELIVER NUTRITIOUS FOOD TO THOSE

THAT NEED IT.” – UNATHI MHLATYANA, MD, MCcAIN FOODS SOUTH AFRICA

For more information:

011 856 6000 www.mccain.co.za