It is estimated that 10.3 million tonnes of food is wasted in South Africa each year. 80% of which is edible.

49% happens during processing and manufacturing of food. 27% is happening at primary production and post-harvest handling and storage. 18% is happening in households and with consumers. 6% is happening at retail.

45% of food that enters the value chain ends up being wasted.

50% of total food wasted are cereals, 19% are fruits and vegetables, 14% is dairy (excluding butter), the remainer is made up of meat (poultry, beef, pork, and lamb) 9%, roots and tubers 5%, oilseeds and pulses 2%, fish and sea food (hake, tuna, and sardines) 1%.

Maize, wheat, citrus, poultry, apples, and pears have been identified as key foods to focus on by the SA FLWI based off of the volumes of production as well as how much ends up being wasted (internal research).

12% of South Africa's householdsexperience hunger (about 2.1 million people) and 21% have inadequate access to food³. More than 62% of children experience multidimensional poverty. Every tonne of edible surplus food could make an estimated 4,000 (250g) meals.

Waste food equals wasted water and energy, increased methane emissions, and impact on biodiversity.

The cost of food loss and waste is estimated to be R61.5 billion per annum (2.1% of South Africa's GDP).

The primary goal is to prevent food loss and waste in the first place. However, if food cannot be sold and it is still fit for human consumption it should be donated to people in need. If it is not suitable for human consumption but meets the requirements for animal feed, then it should be used to feed animals. If not suitable for animal feed it should be sent for bio-material processing.