SA Harvest calls for a law on food wastage
The Roodepoort Record approached a few members of the community and asked if they thought it was a noble call.
Members of the community shared their thoughts on the recent call from SA Harvest to introduce a law that will make the wastage of food illegal, and that supermarkets and stores should be compelled to donate their unsold food.
SA Harvest is an NPO with a mission to end hunger in South Africa. They do this by taking a revolutionary approach, including tackling the immediate food security crisis by rescuing nutritious food that would have gone to a landfill and delivering it for free where it’s needed most, and by addressing the systemic causes of hunger.
The Roodepoort Record approached a few members of the community and asked if they thought it was a noble call, if it would destroy businesses, or if it would be hard to implement in South Africa.
Mahlon Willis said, “It will be a noble call that businesses will be able to support South Africans who are underprivileged. It would serve communities well, especially in the trying times that we as South Africans find ourselves in.”
Cowen Meyer added, “The purpose of this is good, and it will help a lot of South Africans, but it will also destroy businesses. If people are getting food for free, then they’re not going to buy food, and the same is true with clothing. The economy is going to lose.”
Hilda Gaillard said, “I think it is going to be very hard to implement because this in South Africa because there is a lot of corruption that takes place. People who are supposed to be benefiting will not benefit, but people in power will select those that they want.”
Sepiso Sililo feels it is a noble call because some businesses usually throw away their unsold food.
“But they need to ensure that it is good for consumption and that people eat it immediately. We are currently facing a high food insecurity, and people cannot sustain themselves anymore.”
Allicia Dube agreed it would be for a good cause.
“But it still would be hard to implement because business owners look at profits most of the time. If it doesn’t benefit them, they wouldn’t do it.”
