Originally published by FreshPlaza on 28 August 2026. Written by Carolize Jansen.
Many people in Alexandra Extension 10, Johannesburg, are battling colds and flu at the moment due to the change in seasons, says Vusi Msomi, founder of the FSNCYD Community Kitchen. “Receiving the oranges from SA Harvest made the people so happy. It has helped a lot.” Twelve years ago, he set up this food kitchen catering for 250 children every day after school, offering them a nutritious meal prepared from food donated by SA Harvest, an organisation set up to address a paradox in South Africa’s economy: vast food production capacity cohabiting with chronic food insecurity.
orange distribution at FSNCYD Community Kitchen, Alexandra, Johannesburg
SA Harvest collects, packs and distributes a range of surplus fruit and vegetables to food kitchens such as Msomi’s as well as its own community-based organisations.
Market-related and climatic factors determine what is available to the NGO: this year there have been a lot of potatoes, much of it out-of-spec due to size, as well as citrus, which is experiencing excellent yields but serious challenges to exporting.
The rescued citrus is currently being distributed through SA Harvest’s network in Cape Town and Durban, with distribution in Johannesburg coming soon. The organisation is always open to greater collaboration with transporters and storage solution suppliers.
While reliable statistics for how much citrus is discarded annually in South Africa are not available, says Graham Guthrie, SA Harvest spokesperson. “What we can say with confidence is that SA Harvest is currently reaching only a fraction of the citrus surplus that could potentially be rescued. Logistics plays a key role in determining how much citrus can realistically be rescued.”
By the end of July, they had received 412.8 tonnes of fresh citrus, over 9% of the 4,482.2 tonnes of all food the nonprofit received nationally over the same period. The majority of the citrus collected from farms and packhouses is mandarins (272 tonnes thus far, and counting), oranges (almost 110 tonnes), and lemons (30.6 tonnes). With the citrus season still underway, the final figures are sure to be higher.
“This season, SA Harvest received more citrus than in many previous years,” says Dodo Manisi, Cape Town procurement manager. “Factors including export demand and timing, hail damage and surplus volumes have influenced this. In years when surplus volumes are lower, the juice market has absorbed a significant portion of the excess.”
Surplus citrus rescued from farms and packhouses is redirected by SA Harvest to community kitchens in Alexandra, turning potential waste into nourishment and dignity.
Manisi continues: “The citrus being rescued is either surplus and/or out-of-spec fruit that remains in good condition. Out-of-spec fruit could be undersized, surface marked, pockmarked, insect-stung, discoloured or misshapen fruit, making it unmarketable through conventional channels. In some cases, this fruit has no primary local market, export market or secondary domestic market such as juicing. Food rescue therefore provides an alternative route for fruit that would otherwise have no viable commercial outlet.”
The logistics challenge
Due to the volumes arriving in large loads within a short timeframe, Manisi notes, some of the citrus is shared in bulk with other organisations for their own beneficiary distribution so that the fruit can move quickly.
Many citrus packhouses are located outside SA Harvest’s current transport network, which means there is a significant volume of potential surplus that the organisation is currently unable to access. This is further affected by the limited availability of strategically located transport bins.
“Where large volumes become available within a short timeframe, there is also a need for a quick turnaround. The ability to collect, transport, store and distribute the fruit efficiently is therefore critical to ensuring that edible surplus can reach communities while it is still suitable for use.”
Alexandra’s FSNCYD Community Kitchen distributes surplus citrus and vegetables donated by SA Harvest, bringing nourishment and dignity to families facing food insecurity.
Read the full article on FreshPlaza: We’re reaching only a fraction of the citrus surplus that could potentially be rescued
SA Harvest has rescued almost 18 million kilograms of food since 2019
For more information:
Graham Guthrie, head: procurement
SA Harvest
Tel: +27 82 308 9102
Email: graham@saharvest.org
https://saharvest.org/Publication date: Fri 28 Aug 2026
© FreshPlaza.com / Carolize Jansen