Rethinking Nutrition in Early Learning
At the Constellations of Change Conference, hosted by SmartStart and the DG Murray Trust at Emperors Palace, leaders from across South Africa’s early childhood development (ECD) ecosystem gathered to confront one urgent question: What does quality early learning look like?
The answer was clear: quality early learning is not one thing, but a constellation of vital links. Access to education is inseparable from nutrition, and without reliable nourishment, even the best programmes cannot deliver their intended developmental value.
Nutrition as Early-Learning Infrastructure
South Africa’s stunting crisis was front and centre. One in four children under five is stunted, a marker of chronic undernutrition that permanently limits growth, brain development, and learning potential. It also carries a heavy economic cost – estimated at R62 billion annually in lost productivity and social impact – and perpetuates cycles of poverty.
For SA Harvest, nutrition is not charity. It is infrastructure. A child cannot focus on an empty stomach, and it should never be their responsibility to worry about where the next meal will come from. Children cannot fend for themselves, and SA Harvest has made it its responsibility to ensure food gets to them safely, consistently, and with dignity.
Ozzy Nel captured this truth in his panel remarks:
A child cannot learn well if nutrition is uncertain. But the solution is not simply to place more food into the system. We need reliable infrastructure that can source, move, store and deliver appropriate food safely and consistently. That means treating nutrition, logistics and early learning as one connected system.
Think of the difference between two mornings at an ECD centre:
Ozzy Nel’s Distinctive Lens
SA Harvest CEO Ozzy Nel joined the panel on Nutrition for Early Learning alongside SmartStart, Grow Great, the DO MORE Foundation, and Breadline Africa. While other panellists brought expertise in child development, fortified nutrition, and ECD infrastructure, Ozzy’s role was to add the missing piece: the logistics and food‑systems perspective.
His message was clear: availability is not the same as access. South Africa can have enough food nationally, yet children still arrive at ECD programmes hungry because the system to move food safely and consistently is fragile.
Through its national food‑rescue and reverse‑logistics network, SA Harvest has made it its responsibility to strengthen dietary diversity, absorb supply shocks, and reduce waste – while ensuring food reaches children safely. This is not an optional extra. It is the invisible infrastructure that protects a child’s right to learn.
Catch up on the highlights from the Constellations of Change Conference – SmartStart’s LinkedIn post.
From Talk to Action
The conference was not only about ideas, but about practical next steps. Ozzy proposed an ECD Nutrition Access Demonstrator: a 6 –12 month pilot across a cluster of ECD sites that would combine:
This proposal captured the spirit of the conference: moving from good intentions to tested delivery models that can be scaled nationally.
“To support SA Harvest’s mission of rescuing food and fighting hunger, make a contribution today at SA Harvest. Every donation helps us deliver nutrition where it’s needed most.”