South African food manufacturers and retailers are being called on to minimise and reduce food waste in the country.

This follows the launch of South African Food Loss and Waste Voluntary Agreement, developed by the Consumer Goods Council of South Africa (CGCSA) in partnership with the departments of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries (DEFF) and Trade, Industry and Competition.

Around 10 million tons of local agricultural production in South Africa is wasted each year, prompting the CGCSA to encourage its members to commit to implementing measures to counter this.

‘Given that South Africa’s retailers sell approximately 80% of the food consumed in the country, they sit at a critical point in the value chain to influence changes to reduce some of the food waste South Africa generates each year,’ says the council’s co-chair Gareth Ackerman.

DEFF Minister Barbara Creecy adds that ‘more responsible consumption of agricultural produce will assist to promote both food security and more sustainable agricultural practice’.

6 October 2020
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