Gauteng agriculture MEC pushes for legislation to ban food waste

The Herald

17 hours ago

Gauteng MEC for agriculture and rural development Vuyiswa Ramokgopa says Rise Mzansi is determined to take the fight against food waste to parliament by sponsoring legislation that would ban the practice and hold companies accountable.
'Really taking on the issue of food waste is a big one for us,' Ramokgopa said at a Rise Mzansi press briefing on Monday. She noted that millions of tonnes of food are dumped in landfills every year, despite widespread hunger and food insecurity across South Africa.
'We've made the statement and there is enough data that shows that we're wasting millions of tonnes of food every year that is landing up in landfills rather than in communities that can use that food,' she said.
According to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), South Africa produces about 31-million tonnes of food annually, of which 10-million tonnes go to waste. Fruits, vegetables and cereals make up 70% of this wastage, most of which occurs early in the food supply chain.
WWF has warned that with diets shifting towards processed foods, malnutrition will only worsen unless food waste is curbed.
'One of our key initiatives is to work with organisations on the ground, support the work they are doing to minimise food waste and really take it to the next level. Through my colleagues in parliament we'd like to move to sponsoring legislation that bans food waste and prohibits companies who are involved in food production from wasting food,' said Ramokgopa.
Ramokgopa added that Rise Mzansi is in a research phase, looking at global precedents on food waste legislation and how these could be adapted for South Africa.
'One of our priorities has been about ending hunger — not to simply speak about it at a high level but to work closely with organisations who are active on the ground,' she said.
The MEC said the party's approach focuses on boosting food security by localising production through community and backyard gardens as well as subsistence farming.
'It is also really about looking at the food systems that drive affordability [and] availability of food in our communities,' she said.
Beyond food security, Ramokgopa linked agriculture to sustainable job creation.
'This is a phrase that gets bandied about excessively in the political space but for us it's really about how we re-energise the Gauteng economy so that we are better capacitated to create jobs. Agro-processing is one such avenue that we believe holds a lot of possibilities,' she said.
Earlier this year Ramokgopa hosted the inaugural Gauteng Agro-processing Convention and Expo at Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand under the theme 'driving inclusive growth through agro-processing'.
The two-day event brought together industry leaders, SMMEs, financiers, investors and policymakers to shape the future of the sector.
'Through that we managed to sign an agreement with the National Empowerment Fund wherein we are establishing jointly blended financing of R100m to support microprocessors all over the province,' she said.
Ramokgopha said 32 projects had already gone through due diligence and are ready for funding.
She said youth involvement and education remained central to her vision.
'We have been focused on a schools' programme driving agriculture industry awareness, getting young people energised and activated about the possibilities in this sector. These included planting food gardens and working with school leaders,' she said.
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