South Africa can produce enough food for its population, according to official statistics. But millions face hunger, partly because food is lost and wasted in the value chain. An estimated 10.3 million tonnes of food are wasted annually in the country, 19% of it fresh produce.
A substantial portion of this loss and waste occurs during harvesting, transportation and marketing in the form of handling problems and inadequate infrastructure.
We are agri-food systems specialists who have studied food waste both at the farm level and further along the chain towards consumers. For example, I (Opara) have found that for pomegranates, 15.3% to 20.1% of the harvest is lost at the farm (for…
Adriaan Basson: Editor of News24, recognized for his investigative journalism and
commentary on political affairs.

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