Institutional Collaboration
There are number of initiatives, both public and private, aimed at minimising both the amount, and effect of, food waste. To this end we have collaborated with the Government of the Western Cape (Waste Management), the City of Cape Town, as well as with GreenCape on their drive to minimise the impact dumping has on the environment.
The WWF recently released their report titled “Surplus food from farms and firms onto forks” which discusses climate-smart business opportunities. This initiative, supported and funded by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, is being led by the WWF. We were approached to contribute to the findings and the final report, which is available at http://awsassets.wwf.org.za/downloads/wwf_2018_surplus_foods_from_farms_and_firms_onto_forks.pdf
We have also engaged with various local and national government departments, including the National Consumer Commission, the Dept of Agriculture, Forestry & Fisheries, and the Department of Environmental Health (who have given the green light to our retail operations).
In terms of Corporate Social Responsibility we believe that making affordable food accessible to less fortunate sections of the community via channels such as ours falls within the scope of the intentions of King III relating to CSR. We will cooperate with our clients who require supporting documentation for their own corporate governance reports.
Whilst relatively new in South Africa, the concept of grocery recovery outlets is already well-established in many countries, and specifically in the United States where manufacturers are increasingly considering the grocery recovery option to assist in managing excess inventory.
An alternative channel that local manufacturers have tried is to donate these products to the needy. However, the distribution logistics of pursuing this option often falls beyond the core business of the manufacturer. Secondly, there has been very little guarantee that these products won’t make their way onto formal retail shelves via unscrupulous operators who gain access to the stock under the guise of distributing it to charitable organisations. Foodeez provides a secure and guaranteed option to obviate this risk for manufacturers.
