Tru-Cape, in collaboration with Food Lover’s Market and other partners, has embarked on its annual campaign to combat hunger in South Africa. They are supporting Food Forward SA throughout May leading up to World Hunger Day on 28 May.
Tru-Cape made a financial contribution to help kick-start this year’s campaign, which has already secured two million meals for needy South Africans.
According to Tru-Cape, during May shoppers will have the opportunity to voluntarily purchase a meal at only 47 cents at any Food Lover’s Market checkout to help make a difference for fellow South Africans.
Looking out for the needy
Roelf Pienaar, managing director of Tru-Cape, said food security and a lack of access to healthy food are stark realities for many South Africans.
“Many South Africans don’t have access to a plate of food or go to bed with an empty stomach. We are committed to every South African’s basic and constitutional right to a healthy meal. From our side, it is a small contribution to help alleviate hunger, an issue close to our hearts,” he said.
Tru-Cape is also involved in several Western Cape communities through financial donations or sponsorships. “We donate apples and pears to crèches and schools in our production areas and beyond,” Pienaar said.
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Meanwhile, Andy du Plessis, managing director of Food Forward SA, highlights the alarming statistics of hunger and malnutrition, emphasising the importance of initiatives like these.
“Food Forward SA increased our tonnages by 325% over the past five years. The cost per meal decreased from 85 cents in 2020 to only 47 cents this year, making food banking the most cost-efficient option to combat hunger,” he said.
Du Plessis added that food waste is among the largest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions. “In South Africa, more than 10 million tons of food are lost or wasted annually, costing the economy R64 billion a year, If we can recover it, we can address the problem of food security,” he said.
According to Tru-Cape, Food Lover’s Market, along with sponsorship partners, has already secured two million meals for this year’s campaign.
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