FoodForward SA: Partnering for a More Food Secure South Africa
FoodForward SA is Africa's largest food bank and food redistribution organisation. Established in 2009, we recover quality, in-date surplus food from farmers, manufacturers, retailers and other supply chain partners, and redistribute it through a national network of more than 2,200 vetted Beneficiary Organisations serving vulnerable communities across all nine provinces of South Africa.
As a certified member of the Global FoodBanking Network, we are part of a global movement transforming surplus food into a valuable resource that improves lives while protecting the environment.
South Africa faces a stark contradiction. More than one third of all food produced, approximately 10 million tonnes each year, is lost or wasted, while millions of people experience food insecurity.
FoodForward SA bridges this gap by recovering quality surplus food that would otherwise go to waste and redirecting it to where it is needed most.
Today, more than 90% of the food we recover is nutritious, helping provide healthy meals to close to one million people every day. Our cost-effective Foodbanking model delivers measurable social, economic, and environmental impact by reducing food loss and waste, lowering greenhouse gas emissions, and strengthening food security in communities across the country.
Through seven strategic programmes, we address food insecurity in both urban and rural communities:
Warehouse Foodbanking
Using our fleet of vehicles, we recover edible surplus food from farmers, manufacturers and retailers. The food is received into our warehouses, where it is sorted, stored and redistributed through our national network of Beneficiary Organisations.
FoodShare
Our digital platform, FoodShare, virtually connects Beneficiary Organisations with nearby retailers and food outlets for the regular collection of safe, edible surplus food.
Mother and Child Nutrition Programme
We provide nutritious food parcels to targeted households where pregnant and nursing mothers, and children up to five years of age, are at risk of malnutrition.
Mobile Rural Distribution
Our fleet delivers monthly food supplies to central collection points in rural towns and villages, extending our reach to underserved communities.
School Breakfast Programme
In partnership with corporate donors, we provide nutritious breakfasts to learners at selected primary and secondary schools, helping children learn and thrive.
Food Gardens Connect
This programme creates pathways out of poverty by equipping unemployed people with the skills and resources to grow their own food, improving household nutrition while creating economic opportunities.
Disaster Relief
We provide timely and coordinated food assistance to communities affected by natural disasters and humanitarian emergencies.
Our Beneficiary Network
More than 75% of the Beneficiary Organisations (BOs) we support provide essential community services, including education, healthcare, skills development, and support for vulnerable women and children in underserved communities.
Every organisation is carefully vetted and regularly monitored to ensure accountability, transparency and meaningful impact.
Our work is made possible through strong partnerships with businesses that share our commitment to creating a more food-secure and sustainable South Africa.
We are grateful for the support of a number of US-based companies that have helped strengthen food security in communities across the country.
Funding from The Starbucks Foundation enabled us to expand our Food Gardens Connect programme in 2025, empowering more households to grow nutritious food and build sustainable livelihoods.
Our longstanding partnership with Kellanova, now Mars, continues to support the Better Days Breakfast Programme, helping ensure that children start the school day with a nutritious meal, so they are better able to learn and thrive.
We are also proud to have partnered with Walmart and Massmart through the Community Kitchen Partnership, strengthening local organisations that provide nutritious meals to vulnerable communities.
Through the PepsiCo Foundation's global Move for Good campaign, powered by more than nine billion steps taken by PepsiCo employees worldwide, FoodForward SA received funding equivalent to four million meals for vulnerable South Africans, demonstrating the remarkable impact that global collaboration can have on local communities.
We invite American companies operating in or connected to South Africa to join our growing network of partners. Together, we can reduce food loss and waste, strengthen food security, improve nutrition, and create lasting social and environmental impact.