By Ozzy Nel, COO of SA Harvest
In the complex ecosystem of food production, distribution, and consumption, the challenge of food waste continues to pose a significant threat. As leaders in the food rescue industry, we at SA Harvest recognise that the most effective solutions often emerge from the power of collaboration. A recent successful food rescue operation involving sweet potatoes from Du Toit Agri exemplifies this principle, highlighting how partnerships can transform potential food loss and waste into nourishment for thousands.
The origin of surplus
Dutoit, established in 1893, has a long-standing history of delivering high-quality fruit and vegetables across South Africa. Despite their extensive experience and efficient farming operations, even seasoned producers can face challenges with surplus. This year, Dutoit encountered an unexpected excess of sweet potatoes, a result of preparing more stem cuttings than needed for the next planting season.
To prevent this valuable crop from going to waste, SA Harvest stepped in to offer assistance. Initially meeting to discuss fruit rescue, the collaboration quickly expanded to include sweet potatoes, ensuring they were put to good use rather than lost.
Mobilising for impact
The need to swiftly move such a large quantity of sweet potatoes provided an opportunity to demonstrate the agility and impact of strategic partnerships. SA Harvest, leveraging its robust logistics network and warehouse footprint, initiated a coordinated rescue operation. This entailed putting out a call to FWJ Logistix, a company with a storied legacy of four generations in logistics, who unhesitatingly stepped forward. With trucks returning to Cape Town empty after delivering solar products, FWJ Logistix offered to transport the sweet potatoes from the Du Toit packhouse to SA Harvest’s Cape Town warehouse.
To facilitate the transport of such large volumes of loose sweet potatoes, SA Harvest’s long-standing partner CHEP supplied a total of 206 agri bins crucial for the operation. The coordinated effort saw three interlink trucks transporting the sweet potatoes from the packhouse in Prince Albert Hamlet to Cape Town.
Distributing to needy communities
Once the sweet potatoes reached SA Harvest’s Cape Town warehouse, the extensive redistribution effort began. The call for logistical support was once again answered by key players in the transport industry, facilitated by the Road Freight Association of South Africa. And joining FWJ Logistics in the rescue operation, DSV assisted with the onward journey, ensuring that the sweet potatoes reached our Johannesburg and Durban branches.
Together, Dutoit Agri, SA Harvest, FWJ Logistics, and DSV successfully rescued a significant quantity of sweet potatoes from going to landfill. These sweet potatoes were distributed to 182 beneficiary organisations across four provinces, turning what could have been wasted into thousands of nourishing meals:
- Cape Town saw the largest portion, with meals delivered to 67 beneficiary organisations.
- Johannesburg received a substantial amount, enabling 61 organisations to prepare meals.
- Durban also benefited, with meals served by 54 organisations.
This collaborative effort transformed surplus food into essential sustenance for communities in need.
Nutritional and community impact
Sweet potatoes are more than just a carbohydrate source; they are vital in combating Vitamin A deficiency, a widespread issue that affects immune systems and eye health. The Orleans sweet potatoes, with their rich orange flesh, have been used by beneficiary organisations to prepare nourishing soups and stews. These meals have provided much-needed warmth and nutrition during some of the coldest winter days, alleviating hunger and supporting health in vulnerable communities.
The collaborative future of food rescue
This operation stands as a testament to the power of collaboration, where businesses, logistics providers, and non-profit organisations come together to solve pressing hunger and malnutrition challenges. SA Harvest acted as a catalyst, drawing on relationships with Dutoit, CHEP, FWJ Logistix and DSV to ensure that perfectly good food reached those who need it most, rather than ending up as waste.
In an era when there is a surplus of food in South Africa, it is inconceivable that 20 million people are on a spectrum of severe food vulnerability, ranging from running out of money sometime during the month to feed their families to millions of children going to sleep hungry every night.
In this context, it is incumbent on us to drastically reduce the 10 million tonnes of food that is wasted every year and redirect it to the hungry masses. The logistical ability to coordinate such efforts is key, and this sweet potato rescue operation illustrates how, together, we can rewrite the story of food waste, turning wasted, nutritious food into an abundance that nourishes and supports communities throughout South Africa.
As we continue our mission at SA Harvest, we remain committed to fostering partnerships that drive change, ensuring that no viable food is left to rot, but rather finds its place on the plates of those who need it.
To join SA Harvest in its mission to end hunger, contact Margolite Williams on +27 79 495 4433.
Ozzy Nel is COO of SA Harvest