Johannesburg, 29 September 2026 -The Consumer Goods Council of South Africa (CGCSA) today called for stronger collaboration between government, industry, civil society and consumers to address food safety incidents, food insecurity, reduce food waste and build a more resilient and sustainable food system. The call was made at the CGCSA’s Food Safety and Sustainability Seminar, held in Johannesburg to coincide with the United Nations International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste.
The seminar brought together leaders from business, government, academia and civil society to explore the growing impact of climate change on food systems, strategies to reduce food loss and waste, and the role of innovation and technology in strengthening food security and environmental sustainability.
Speaking at the event, CGCSA Co-Chair Gareth Ackerman highlighted the importance of tackling food loss and waste as one of the most practical and immediate interventions available to improve food security and strengthen resilience across the food value chain. “South Africa faces a profound contradiction. While our country has the capacity to produce sufficient food, millions of South Africans continue to experience food insecurity while significant volumes of food are lost or wasted “from farm to form” every year,” said Ackerman.
He noted that climate change is intensifying pressure on food systems, with increasingly frequent extreme weather events affecting agricultural production, food safety, affordability and household food security. Recent forecasts of a particularly severe El Nino cycle underscore the need for urgent and coordinated action to improve the resilience of South Africa’s food system. “We are already starting to see the effects of El Nino and we are headed for some hard times, especially in the western Cape. This will impact on food security in South Africa and across the continent. If we don’t get adequate rains in the maize growing area, we will have a big problem and we have to plan for it,” he said.
Ackerman said food waste management should no longer be viewed solely as an environmental issue. “Food waste is a food security issue, an economic issue and a social responsibility. Every tonne of food that is wasted represents wasted land, water, energy, labour and investment. More importantly, it represents a missed opportunity to help feed vulnerable households and communities.”
Ackerman says government should work with the consumer goods sector and other stakeholders to collaboratively address food waste and loss. “We are not enemies; we should not work in silos and government should be responsive and not reactive. Industry must not throw food away when people are starving. We need to change regulations to allow food to be donated and also deal with illicit food entering the market.”
The seminar also reflected on the progress of the South African Food Loss and Waste Initiative (SA FLWI), launched by the CGCSA in 2020 to bring together stakeholders across the food value chain in support of the global objective of halving food waste by 2030.
Crucial to this collective effort is empirical measurement. The seminar previewed the forthcoming publication of updated national food loss and waste data captured through the SA FLWI signatory reporting framework. These figures will benchmark sector-level progress against the 2030 target, identify critical loss hotspots from farm to fork, and provide policymakers and commercial leaders with the evidence base needed to deploy targeted, high-impact capital and operational interventions.
Participants highlighted the importance of expanding food recovery and redistribution efforts while addressing regulatory barriers that continue to discourage food donations.
Ackerman noted that many businesses remain concerned about legal uncertainty when donating safe surplus food and called for discussions on regulatory measures that would encourage responsible food donation while maintaining high food safety standards.
The seminar also stressed the importance of safeguarding consumer health through rigorous, proactive food safety, nutrition and waste management governance. With climate shifts introducing emerging microbiological and supply-chain safety risks, the CGCSA continues to drive standards and regulatory harmonization/alignment with global benchmarks, and technical capacity-building across small, medium, and large food business operators. These efforts run alongside public health commitments such as the Healthy Food Options Industry Initiative reinforcing that food security is fundamentally unachievable without safe, nutritious, affordable and accessible food products.
The seminar concluded with a collective call to action:
Government to create an enabling policy and regulatory environment that supports food recovery, responsible food donation and digital innovation.
Industry continues investing in food safety, food waste prevention, redistribution and traceability solutions as well as helping to create a circular economy.
Civil society organisations strengthen partnerships that connect safe surplus food to vulnerable communities.
Consumers to reduce food waste and make informed purchasing decisions through greater use of digital information tools.
“No single stakeholder can solve this challenge alone. By working together, we can continue to reduce food waste, improve food security, support vulnerable communities and build a more resilient food system capable of withstanding the growing pressures of climate change,” Ackerman concluded.
