As the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) concludes its second round of national investigative hearings into the right to food, one message has been impossible to ignore: South Africa cannot address food insecurity without confronting food loss and waste.

Civil society, researchers, the government and industry have repeatedly highlighted the contradiction of millions of South Africans experiencing hunger while large quantities of edible food are lost across the food system. The issue is no longer simply about food waste management or operational efficiency; it is about recognising food as a human right and food loss and waste as an economic and environmental imperative.

These discussions are important and relevant. SA wastes approximately 10.3 million tonnes of food each year, while about 14 million people face food insecurity. Although food waste occurs throughout the food value chain, the food and beverage manufacturing sector accounts for an estimated 49% of all food waste generated nationally.

Even more concerning is that about 80% of this waste is estimated to be edible. This data highlights an uncomfortable reality. While food insecurity is driven by poverty, unemployment and unequal access to food rather than food availability alone, reducing avoidable food waste represents one practical opportunity to improve the efficiency and sustainability of SAâs food system.

As a signatory to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12.3, SA has committed to halving food loss and waste by 2030. At the same time, an increasing number of food processors and manufacturers have committed to this goal by signing up to the Consumer Goods Council of SAâs Food Loss and Waste Initiative.

Yet achieving these commitments will require a fundamental shift in how food waste is understood inside food manufacturing companies. Food waste costs the South African economy an estimated R130-billion every year, eroding company profitability, increasing production costs and wasting valuable natural resources, including water, energy and agricultural inputs. For businesses reporting against environmental, social and governance commitments, food waste also represents avoidable greenhouse gas emissions and inefficient resource use, while exposing a broader social contradiction: food is being discarded in a country where millions struggle to access nutritious food.

Much of the response to date has understandably focused on technology, infrastructure and process improvements. While these remain essential, they overlook one of the most influential drivers of food waste reduction: people.

Research undertaken by the University of the Witwatersrandâs Centre for Researching Education and Labour (Wits Real) in partnership with FoodBev Manufacturing Seta (FoodBev Seta) suggests that SAâs food manufacturing workforce is not yet adequately equipped with the knowledge and skills required to achieve the level of food waste reduction needed to meet the countryâs 2030 commitments.

The research found that food waste is often largely invisible within manufacturing environments. Workers rarely describe losses as âfood wasteâ. Instead, terms such as leakages, off-cuts, giveaway, shrinkage or product loss are more commonly used. This language matters. When waste is understood only as an isolated production incident rather than part of a broader food loss and waste challenge, opportunities for prevention become fragmented and frequently overlooked. Some companies even perceive themselves as generating little or no food waste because these losses are categorised differently.

The study also found no clear or structured pathway through which workers develop food waste competencies. Production operators, technicians and artisans typically acquire knowledge informally through experience or after mistakes have already occurred â for example, following equipment failures, incorrect trimming practices or accidental product contamination. Training tends to be reactive rather than preventive.

Frontline workers understand production processes better than anyone else because they interact with them every day. They are often the first to recognise recurring inefficiencies, equipment issues, unnecessary product losses and practical opportunities for improvement. Yet their knowledge is seldom intentionally developed or systematically incorporated into food waste reduction strategies.

International evidence demonstrates what becomes possible when workers are empowered. In one US food manufacturing company, employees were invited to identify practical improvements to reduce waste on fresh-cut fruit production lines. One worker-generated innovation reduced food waste by 53%, illustrating that meaningful improvements do not always require expensive new technologies â they often require listening to the people closest to production.

Investing in workforce capability should therefore be recognised as a strategic business investment rather than merely a compliance exercise. Building food waste competencies across all of the workforce, from senior management and quality assurance teams to supervisors, artisans and production workers, can improve operational efficiency, reduce costs, strengthen environmental, social and governance performance and support national sustainability commitments.

This is particularly relevant as SA reflects on the findings emerging from the SAHRC hearings. Addressing food insecurity is not simply about producing more food. It is equally about making better use of the food that has already been produced. While reducing manufacturing waste alone will not eliminate hunger, it represents an important contribution towards building a more efficient, resilient and socially responsible food system.

Importantly, businesses do not have to undertake this transition alone. For companies seeking to strengthen their food loss and waste strategies, signing up to the Consumer Goods Council of SAâs Food Loss and Waste Initiative provides an established platform for collaboration, shared learning and practical guidance. At the same time, FoodBev Manufacturing Seta discretionary grants offer companies an opportunity to access funding for workforce training, enabling businesses to build the internal capability needed to reduce food waste while strengthening productivity and competitiveness.

The SAHRC hearings have reminded the country that the right to food extends beyond food production; it requires a food system that is efficient, equitable and responsible. If SA is serious about reducing food insecurity and achieving its commitment to halve food loss and waste by 2030, we need to look beyond technology and infrastructure. We also need to invest in the people working on the factory floor.

Food is far too valuable to waste. Investing in workforce capability is not simply good for business â it is essential to building a food system that is more efficient, sustainable and capable of ensuring that more of the food already produced reaches the tables of South Africans who need it most. DM

Nkgaugelo Kgasago is a research manager at the Food and Beverage Manufacturing Sector Education & Training Authority (FoodBev Seta), and Clinton Nesengani is a researcher at the Centre for Researching Education and Labour (Real) at the University of the Witwatersrand.