Reflecting on this year’s Earth Day theme “Our People, Our Planet”, food banking is emerging as a critical, dual-impact solution to address both climate change and food insecurity.
In South Africa, FoodForward South Africa (FFSA), recently nominated for the prestigious Earthshot Prize – exemplifies this powerful connection by recovering surplus food to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions while simultaneously feeding millions.
In South Africa, over 10 million tons of edible food is lost or wasted annually, even as millions experience chronic food insecurity. This enormous food loss contributes significantly to climate change, generating potent greenhouse gas emissions. When organic waste decomposes, it turns into methane, a gas far more destructive than carbon dioxide in landfills.
As the continent’s largest food banking network, FFSA champions an integrated model that directly addresses this challenge. Through its national surplus food recovery programme, the organization recovers nutritious, safe, edible food from farmers, manufacturers, and retailers.
The food is then redistributed to a network of 2 200 beneficiary organizations, reaching 862 820 vulnerable individuals every single day across South Africa. This process transforms potential waste into life-sustaining meals for communities in need.
FFSA’s work delivers measurable climate benefits. FFSA helps avoid approximately 5.2 tons of CO₂ emissions per ton of food recovered. Collectively, this contributes to more than 491,986 tons of greenhouse gas emissions avoided annually, reinforcing food banking as a practical, scalable climate solution.
By preventing edible food from landfills, FFSA significantly reduces methane emissions while simultaneously strengthening food security, directly aligning climate action with human development outcomes. It is this profound impact that has led to FFSA’s international recognition, underscored by its 2026 Earthshot Prize nomination.
“Food banking is where climate action and human dignity meet,” says Andy Du Plessis, Managing Director of FoodForward South Africa. “Every ton of food recovered protects the environment by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but it also ensures nutritious food reaches people who need it most. In South Africa, this connection between our people and our planet is not theoretical; it is essential.”
This Earth Day, FFSA calls on farmers, manufacturers, and retailers to strengthen and accelerate surplus food donations. Timely recovery of edible food remains one of the most immediate and effective ways to reduce emissions while addressing food insecurity and malnutrition at scale.
FoodForward South Africa’s work powerfully illustrates that protecting our people means protecting our planet, and food banking is a vital example of how both can be achieved together.