Mzansi’s largest non-profit food redistribution organisation, FoodForward SA, has launched its 28th mobile rural depot in Emalahleni, Mpumalanga. It allows for vetted beneficiary organisations within and around the rural precinct to easily access and collect quality surplus food monthly.
FoodForward SA managing director Andy du Plessis says the organisation’s cost-effective food banking model provides nutritious food each month to 1 850 beneficiary organisations that collectively reach more than 700 000 vulnerable people daily.
“In recent years, our focus has shifted to include more vulnerable rural communities, as they have fewer resources and limited access to healthy food,” he explains.
According to Du Plessis, the Emalahleni depot will benefit a number of organisations.
“The Witbank Society for the Aged, Inkosinami, Mpumalanga Mental Health Society and Mpumalanga Youth Council are the first four beneficiary organisations that will benefit from FoodForward SA’s Emalahleni mobile rural depot. Previously, they travelled for one and a half hours to collect food provisions from our Johannesburg branch in Isando.”
Household-level food insecurity
Apart from the newest depot in Emalahleni, FoodForward SA’s programme in Mpumalanga also operates in White River and Goba, a town close to the Mozambican border.
According to the United Nations, South Africa’s rural population stands at just over 33% – a third of the country’s population. While the country is food-secure at national level, it is still food-insecure at household level.
But food security is about more than just having sufficient supplies, believes FoodForward SA. It also requires food accessibility, affordability, nutrition and stability over time. This is where the challenge lies, says Du Plessis.
“It is globally acknowledged that food banking is mostly an urban solution to addressing hunger, given where the role players within the food supply chain are concentrated. This results in inequitable access to food for those living in rural communities.”
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