Equipping young South Africans to transform food waste into resources

At the start of each new year, attention naturally shifts to education.

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Schools and universities open their doors, matric results are released, and questions emerge about preparing young people for the future.

This year, an inspiring intersection is gaining momentum: the convergence of education, youth entrepreneurship and food waste solutions.

Globally, the statistics on food waste are staggering. The UN Environment Programme estimates that 17% of total global food production is wasted annually, a figure that includes households, food services and retail sectors. A 2021 World Wide Fund for Nature report, ‘Driven to Waste’, suggests the global total could reach 2,5 billion tons of wasted food each year.

Closer to home, the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research reported in 2021 that South Africa wastes approximately 10,3 million tons of food annually – roughly one-third of the nation’s production. Meanwhile, the youth unemployment rate exceeds 60% among South Africans aged 15 to 24, according to Statistics South Africa’s Quarterly Labour Force Survey for the third quarter of 2023.

These statistics underscore a powerful opportunity: equipping young South Africans to transform food waste into viable, scalable resources.

A PERFECT MATCH