“How the Other Half Dies: The Real Reasons for World Hunger” is a book that was written in 1976, with several reprints throughout the years. The author argues that world hunger exists because food is grown for profit, and is treated as a weapon, and after reading her book, I can’t help but agree.

(a book review by Rhiannon Thompson)

While occasionally she forays into political and economic technicalities that had me whipping out Google, sometimes due to the dated nature of when it was written and sometimes due to… well, the specific nature of politics and economics, her book was engaging and informative.

She mentions early on in the book that she intended the book to start discussions and inspire further research, as well as expecting the book to be controversial. Although I found little shock factor in the book, I must note that this was written over 40 years ago, so there is a bit more awareness surrounding world hunger and the unrelenting, disgusting greed of the wealthy elite.

Her book also touches on the useless, and almost patronising, solutions to the food crisis, which we have seen play out time and time again throughout the years since the book was published.

Though this book was written a while ago, it gives a great baseline for newcomers into the food waste industry, carefully and thoughtfully explaining her views on many topics, while still being interesting enough to keep reading. Her style can be brusque, but not undeservedly so. You feel her attachment and passion for the topic of world hunger, her desire to start the conversation and, indeed, rip open people hiding their greed under the guise of helping.

The most poignant part of the book, for me, is the foreword she writes at the beginning of the 1986 reprint. She admits her data is old, laments the lack of change in the industry and opens up about her guilt and frustration- concerning the mistakes she has made and her growing fatigue at having to keep up the fight. She writes like she cares.

I leave you with this, a quote that scratched at something deep within my tired, little brain, “Hunger may have been the human race’s constant companion, and ‘the poor may always be with us’, but in the twentieth century, one cannot take this fatalistic view of the destiny of millions of fellow creatures. Their condition is not inevitable but caused by identifiable forces within the province of rational, human control.”.

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Our big news this month is that Nosh is venturing into Botswana!

We have found some super keen people to collaborate with in Ramotswa, just South of Gaborone, so if you are in the area, or if you know anyone in Botswana who would be keen to get involved, please share this launch event invitation with them!

For bookings: info@noshfoodrescue.co.bw

Nosh Food Rescue Botswana was formed as a result of a collaboration between Nosh Food Rescue NPC South Africa (NOSH SA), the Culinary Passions School of Hospitality, also in SA, and various civic-minded individuals and community leaders in Botswana. NOSH SA started as a weekly road-side soup kitchen in Johannesburg in 2015, grew exponentially, was officially established as a non-profit in 2017 and has rescued surplus produce equating to over 7 million meals since 2020. The NOSH vision is a South Africa without hunger and zero food waste in landfills – a vision which NOSH intends to extend beyond South African borders as well – starting in Botswana

Key Highlights of the Event:

1. Introduction to the Initiative: Learn about Nosh Food Rescue Botswana’s innovative approach to rescuing and repurposing surplus food for the benefit of the community.
2. Demonstration: Witness the food rescue process in action and understand how the organization can make a positive impact on the environment while helping those in need.
3. Success Stories: Hear heart-warming stories from individuals and families who have benefited from the program, highlighting the tangible impact of the organization’s efforts.
4. Networking Lunch: Enjoy a delightful networking lunch featuring meals prepared from predominantly rescued food, showcasing the organization’s commitment to turning surplus into sustenance.
5. Keynote Address: A joint address by Hanneke van Linge of Nosh Food Rescue NPC and Chef Citrum Thembinkosi Khumalo, discussing the critical impact of food waste on the environment and the potential to alleviate hunger through skills development, training and other collaborative efforts.
6. Media Q&A: An opportunity for media representatives to ask questions, interview key figures, and delve deeper into the impact of this initiative on both the environment and the local community.

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A little bit of background

Since 2018, Nosh Food Rescue has been on a mission to combat food waste and improve food security in South Africa. We have undertaken this mission through our efforts to rescue surplus food and redistributing it to those in need, thereby reducing food insecurity in the community.

The organisation focuses on diverting, repurposing, and redistributing prepared and perishable surplus food to feeding schemes and other initiatives.

Between 2020 and 2023 alone, Nosh Food Rescue has been able to rescue and distribute 2594 tonnes of food to South African’s experiencing food insecurity. In meal terms, that amounts to 6.81 million meals to the needy!

This food rescue initiative has resulted in the mitigation of a whooping 2187 tCO2e from landfill!

Success Through Partnerships

Nosh has been able to achieve these milestones through the generosity of its many social partners and individuals that have contributed to its mission in one form or the other. But there is still a long way to go to make a meaningful dent on food waste and food security!

Do you want to support Nosh in the work we do? You too can make a difference!

If you or someone you know will be participating in the 947 Virgin Active ride Joburg Cycle race on the 19^th of November 2023, we request that you consider adopting us in your quest for cycling glory! You can do this by raising funds on our behalf through the GivenGain channel [] and racing on our behalf to create awareness around our initiative.

1. Follow the link above and create a GivenGain account (it’s only 2 steps)
2. Select your fundraising journey (‘Fundraise as part of an event’)
3. Select ‘Virgin active 947 Ride Joburg 2023’
4. Choose a charity to support (Nosh Food Rescue NPC)
5. Personalise your page, add your story and start telling your friends about it!

Alternatively, you can also donate to us via our donation page and help us rescue more food, impact food insecurity, and contribute to the fight against climate change.

Food insecurity is a global problem which impacts the poorest sections of all societies. According to the Johannesburg City council, 27% of people in Johannesburg are food insecure and this rises to 47% in inner city environments. We want to change this.

Thank you in advance for recognising our mission and choosing to be a part of it!

Remember to follow us on our various social pages of updates on our work :-)

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Water Is Life.

Leave no one behind”

As NOSH, this #WorldFoodDay we would like to highlight the impact which reducing food waste has on reducing water usage along the supply chain. “As much as half of the water used to grow food globally may be lost or wasted.” – Dr. Charlotte de Fraiture (International Water Management Institute researcher).

NOSH is conscious of the fact that when food is wasted, so are the natural resources that were used to produce that food, which consequently also hampers the fight against food insecurity. The quest for #ZeroHunger cannot be embarked on in isolation without consideration of environmental impacts. The same environment and resources that were used for the entire life cycle of the food are of great importance as they enable continuous food production, and thus need to be conserved. This primarily refers to the elimination of food and water wastage – NOSH ensures that food does not get wasted by rescuing discarded (but safe) food so that it does not end up in landfill sites. Food waste means that all inputs used in producing, processing, transporting, preparing, and storing discarded food are also wasted. Hence, reducing food waste reduces water usage.

It is widely known that landfill sites produce Greenhouse Gases which threaten our planet and exacerbates the Climate Change crisis. Production, transportation, and handling of food generate significant Carbon Dioxide emissions and uses lots of water. Thus, the avoidance of food waste should be prioritised to promote food security, resource and energy conservation, as well as a sustainable planet. The United Nations predicts that the world population will reach 9.3 billion by 2050. This population increase will require a more than 50 percent increase in food production. Reducing food waste can also help feed the world’s growing population more sustainably as decreasing food waste can lessen the need for new food production and would reduce water scarcity.

This year’s theme for World Food Day – “Water Is Food. Water Is Life. Leave no one behind” reminds us of the need to conserve of water. According to Tristram Stuart (author of ‘Waste: Uncovering the Global Food Scandal’), the irrigation water used globally to grow all the wasted food would be enough to meet the domestic needs of the projected 2050 global population of 9.3 billion people. The food system depends on freshwater for many functions, from irrigating crops to processing food products to preparing and cooking food. Like land, usable freshwater supplies are limited and therefore food should only be produced on demand to avoid food and water wastage.

It should be noted that food is wasted all along the food supply chain, from the farm to the food on our tables. In developing countries, 40% of waste occurs at the post-harvest and processing phases, while in developed countries, 40% of waste occurs at the retail and consumer stages. In addition, a globalized food chain means that food waste in industrialized countries has global implications. In industrialized countries, food production exceeds demand because farmers overproduce to ensure that they can deliver what they’ve promised. It is said that “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure”. Let us practice being responsible citizens by minimizing food waste, together. To support NOSH, please head over to https://noshfoodrescue.co.za/donations/ . Do not get left behind!

#WorldFoodDay #FoodHeroes #ZeroHunger #SDGs #FoodSecurity #NoshFoodRescue #HelpNoshHelpOthers

Nomcebo Shange

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Rhiannon is an old family friend who has graciously agreed to give of her time on a volunteer basis for a while – we are delighted to have her on board!

“Lovely to meet you, my name is Rhiannon. My volunteer work at Nosh began in late July, after my lovely mother attended the Odd Plate Luncheon at Oakfield Farm. Nosh was appealing for help and hands and my mother, not unkindly, threw me in Hanneke’s direction as I was driving both her and myself up the wall.

While I have little experience with food rescue, I have some years of experience in gently tweaking people’s lives to make them more manageable and easier to run, slightly due to my qualification and registration as a Registered Counsellor, but mostly due to the fact that I am an incorrigible busy-body with few filters and many opinions. And thus, the title of “Personal Assistant” was bequeathed unto me. Well, in actuality, the title of “Accountability Buddy” was, but “Personal Assistant” sounds much more important, so we went with that.

My current plans with Nosh and Hanneke are to create a stable, sustainable, easy-to-use, administration system, with the possibility of adding some content focused on the mental health of volunteer workers somewhere down the line. Food rescue is an environmentally and socially important mission, and I am looking forward to helping volunteers, workers and beneficiaries in any way I can, using the skills I have and the knowledge I have, and will continue, to learn.”

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“On the trip I started in February this year, I was searching for volunteering opportunities that were about sustainability to help me narrow down my interests. I met Hanneke through Workaway – a platform that allows hosts and volunteers from all over the world to connect and help each other out.  It was never my plan to go to South Africa, but somehow it all suddenly happened. As I arrived at Nosh and got settled in, I learned this project wasn’t just about sustainability and helping the unfortunate. What struck me the most was the teamwork I felt between Nosh and everyone I met while I was there.

I had done other Workaways before and had never felt so involved. Hanneke took me everywhere and really let me experience all the sides there were to Nosh.

Victoria Yards and the Nosh beneficiary The People’s Pantry became my favourite place. I got to meet a lot of people there that were all on a mission to do good and it was incredible. I noticed that everyone was connected to each other: sharing ideas, collaborating on projects, inviting each other to events and so on. The energy, not just from Hanneke herself but everyone involved was fantastic. There was this excitement about their achievements and the goals they were going to reach, I loved it.

By the time I had to leave, I had helped cook a huge meal in a soup kitchen, collected groceries from supermarkets and fruit and veggies from the fresh produce market. I had hosted an Odd Plate Dinner with Shivani, Kenneth and Hanneke for about 15 people, I had gone all the way to Botswana for a Disco Soup event at which we introduced the Nosh concept to a team of volunteers in Ramotswa, I had helped at the recycling swap shop and had a look into an upcycling shop.

My whole experience at Nosh was unforgettable and eye opening. I got to learn a lot about how flawed the system on food security is and how difficult it is to work around that and be able to help those in need. I am so grateful to have had that opportunity and that Hanneke let me be a part of Nosh for the time I was there. Thanks for everything!”

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When Hanneke van Linge was volunteering at a soup kitchen in Krugersdorp in 2015, she was confronted with a lot of food waste. She resolved to start an initiative with an important goal: to prevent food from ending up in landfills while feeding the hungry.

Hanneke set up Nosh, a non-profit ‘meta-charity’ that rescues food from major retailers and other sources along the food value chain, passing it on to feeding schemes, soup kitchens and shelters.

By diverting and redistributing perishable surplus food, Nosh hopes to reduce the effects of climate change and reduce food insecurity. Between 2020 to 2022, it stopped 2,267 tonnes of food from ending up in landfills, which translates to almost 6-million meals. This year, they’ve already passed the 7-million meal mark.

We spoke to Hanneke to find out more.

What is your dream?

A South Africa without hunger, and zero food in landfills! Living in a country like South Africa, which has such glaring inequality, poverty and widespread food insecurity, has fuelled my innate activist nature. I love food and abhor waste so it was inevitable that I would end up combining these two passions.

What does Nosh do?

Nosh Food Rescue is a non-profit social enterprise acting as a ‘meta-charity’, providing rescued food to a network of shelters, soup kitchens and feeding schemes. We aim to mitigate the effects of climate change and reduce food insecurity by diverting, repurposing and redistributing prepared and perishable surplus food that is still wholesome and nutritious.

How do you decide who to distribute the food to?

We have an existing network of feeding schemes that form part of our distribution network, as well as an increasingly long waiting list of organisations hoping to receive support in some way.

Physical proximity is often instrumental in allocating donations and we constantly assess which produce is most suited to which beneficiary organisation and whether the beneficiaries have the infrastructure, skills and equipment to process any given type of produce.

Where does Nosh get the food from?

We rescue surplus produce from a range of sources all along the food value chain, literally from farm to fork. We get donations from retailers and food processors, culinary institutions and events companies, caterers and farmers, as well as the farmers’ markets, individuals and food vendors. The permutations are endless.

We have guidelines in place to assure the safety, hygiene and appropriateness of donations and we are developing a comprehensive skills development and training programme to uplift the people in our beneficiary network with respect to all aspects of food production, preparation, service and preservation.

What does a typical Nosh meal include?

Due to the nature of our sources, Nosh doesn’t provide full meals as such, as this is more the territory of the individual feeding schemes that cater for their respective communities and needs. Produce sourced by Nosh only forms a supplemental part of the meals served by beneficiary organisations, who also share with other feeding schemes when they receive a glut of something.

How many tonnes of food have you rescued?

Our 2020 to 2022 impact report reflects 2,267 tonnes of food rescued, which translates to 5.93- million meals. Preliminary calculations for 2023 indicate that we’ve already exceeded the 7-million meal mark, which we will be able to report on after the end of June.

Tell me about your Odd Plate Dinners

Nosh has been presenting monthly Odd Plate Dinners since launching them on World Food Day on 16 October 2018. Menus at these events are made up solely of salvaged produce and foodstuffs rescued by Nosh, creatively prepared and exquisitely presented to show that even unloved produce can shine and delight.

Odd Plate events are a fundraising mechanism and aim to broaden the Nosh network and supporter base by creating a platform to educate and engage with diners around the pressing issues of hunger and food waste as well as break existing barriers to entry when it comes to utilising food that would otherwise be discarded for some often-artificial reason or other.

The events also enlighten and educate the chefs, kitchen professionals and hospitality students involved in food wastage. These dinners serve to provoke conversations around how individuals can engage and get involved with the work we do and introduces diners to some of the amazing beneficiary organisations Nosh serves.

The next Odd Plate event will be a lavish luncheon and is being held at the Oakfield Farm wedding venue in Muldersdrift on Saturday 29 July.

What challenges does Nosh face?

One of the hurdles we face is our country’s legislation pertaining to the liability of what happens to surplus food, which can easily discourage producers and retailers from donating. Most other challenges tend to be resource-related.

What is the one thing you want people to know about Nosh?

We are not only passionate about reducing food waste, but ultimately all of our projects are contributing towards our Blue Sky dream, which is building a more equitable food system.

What is Nosh’s most significant achievement so far?

Our motto is: ‘Start where you are, use what you have, do what you can.’ We have achieved our milestones on a handful of shoestrings, without top-heavy, expensive infrastructure, building a shallow and interconnected network of people passionate about uplifting their communities through better access to food.

What do you love about your job?

Seeing the volumes of salvaged produce gives me a thrill every time. It is incredibly satisfying to see 20 tonnes of frozen chicken feet or 750kg of rescued ginger and know that it is not going to waste.

What is your pet hate?

I wish people would stop being so blinkered about their own individual impact… While it is true that political and economic will is necessary for broad, systemic change, our personal habits and ingrained consumerist behaviours most definitely have a knock-on effect on the wasting of food. Not everyone can become a food-waste warrior, but we should all be more conscientious about how we interact with food and the world.

How do you keep up with news about your sector?

Food waste is very topical around the world right now so there are lots of interesting initiatives happening. My inbox is absolutely overflowing with newsletters from initiatives at all levels, ranging from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization to individual food salvage projects.

Nosh is a voluntary associate of the Consumer Goods Council of South Africa’s Food Loss and Waste Initiative launched in 2019 and I sit on various panels working on multipronged approaches towards food waste reduction, which also keeps me in the loop.

Where is Nosh based?

We’re in Randburg, Johannesburg. Our active beneficiary organisations are mostly situated across Gauteng. Our waiting list gets longer every day and consists of feeding schemes across the country so we do our best to match donations of surplus outside of Gauteng with suitable recipients.

How big is the team?

We are still very much founder-led and driven, though we have recently brought on board two subsidised interns through a work-readiness programme. That said, our network of beneficiary organisations represents the logistical capacity of Nosh as well as the physical serving activities, so we very much consider them to be part of our team.

What does the future hold for Nosh?

We are working towards expansion across South Africa and we are also in the process of launching an exciting collaboration in Botswana in mid-July.

We would love to be able to move forward with our plans for multipurpose premises, which would better encompass all of our Blue-Sky projects and goals, as well as furthering the development of our mobile culinary skills development units.

If any individual, company or institution would like to contribute or collaborate in some way, whether it be through tax-deductible donations or assistance with skills or infrastructure, we would love to engage.

How can people help or get involved?

Monetary support is always welcome of course, as we are entirely dependent on donations and private goodwill. We would also love to hear from anyone who would like to contribute their professional skills pertaining to all aspects of business and social enterprise development.

Treevolution interview by Gemma Gattichi

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Food is motherly love.

Food is a sense of home.

Food is nature.

Food is what makes you aware of what you are made of.

Food is nourishment.

Food is consciousness.

Food is a choice.

Food is basic and essential.

Food is best when minimal.

Food is what connects me with values.

Food is an exchange.

Food is an ancient civilization.

A fortuitous meeting leading to a foray into Food Rescue

It started off as a connection through Workaway, a global volunteering platform that connects hosts and Workawayers, who offer their skills in absolutely anything, for being able to assimilate with local culture, and living with locals. This was my second trip to South Africa and I finally made a real attempt to meet Hanneke, and this is how we initially connected on my first trip. We kept in touch, had a few meetings and on one of those occasions, I was invited to something called an ‘Odd Plate Dinner’ hosted at a culinary school. The set up was beautiful and the fact that everything was prepared to serve from scratch with rescued food supplies, fruits, and vegetables, was something that hit the right cords for me. I then expressed my interest to host a dinner as well at NOSH, a small gathering of people who appreciate the value that lies in simple home-cooked meals. After much back and forth on dates, Hanneke suggested June 7, 2023.

We got there around 9:30 am and found at least around 30-40 crates of fresh vegetables and fruits, and some other supplies, alongside which we had a lot of grocery items and basic spices at the NOSH kitchen. The first sight of everything that was there was overwhelming, and it is great to have a small team to work with. It was me, Julia and Kenneth, with Hanneke helping us with anything we needed. With Julia’s suggestion, we planned a menu with whatever we had, and then got to work. We started at 10:30 am and worked straight until 6:30 pm. We did all the preparation and cooking, and Hanneke helped set up the place to accommodate the 15 people we had expected including ourselves.

The way Hanneke shuffled tables and chairs to accommodate our guests comfortably, and the way she threw around some personal elements is where her soulful touch and magic lies in her initiatives with NOSH.

We had a four-course meal that was set up buffet style so that everyone could engage actively with the food that was being served and the people serving. The idea was to put together a bunch of preparations that one could enjoy all along, so there was no exact synchronicity in the way the recipes were put together, except the larger arrangement and sequence to the courses.

We had fresh orange juice for a refresher drink. For starters, we had a soup made with butternut and sweet potato. Along with the soup, we had potato patties with cream cheese dip and tomato chutney, seasoned cucumber, tomato salad, and guacamole.

For main course, there was buckwheat pita bread, spinach curry with corn, black-eyed bean curry, stir fry vegetables (seasoned with Sichuan pepper, used extensively both in Nepal and China), boiled beetroot-white sesame salad, and pan dry-fried mustard greens.

Finally for desserts, we had an assortment of rescued cakes and pastries, Yogs’ home-baked cookies, brownies and store-bought ice-cream brought by a friend, and mixed fruit salad from rescued fruits.

To go with all the edibles, we had some wines shared by Hanneke from her prized collection, orange juice, and cocktails made on-the-go by Justine, another friend who we met at Victoria Yards.

There is a lot that was felt and exchanged in the process of prepping, serving, and savoring the condiments and delicacies, but one must be involved in the process to experience the intention behind what is being served and shared. All thanks to Hanneke for all the heart and effort she has been putting into NOSH and everything she stands for.

Written by: Shivani Saria

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There are more and more lovely books out there which have bearing on food waste, using up surplus, reducing waste in the home and on generally tweaking our food system to a more equitable and sustainable one, we thought we’d start recommending some of them for your delectation and edification! So, going forward, here we will be sharing our thoughts on local and international books and podcasts with a focus on food waste, hunger and ways to change how we look at the planet and communities.

We’re also going to collect copies of all of these books for the physical Nosh Library of Food, but that is news for another day. So:

Diet for a Small Planet (50th Anniversary Edition) by Francis Moore Lappe

Veganuary coming to an end today, at least 580,000 people around the world from 209 countries and territories made the commitment to try a diet that helps champion veg-filled food choices, protects the planet and improved human health. As more and more people try meatless-Monday, introducing more vegetarian/vegan meals into their week’s, perhaps let us suggest ‘Diet for a Small Planet by Frances Lappe for meal planning and for delicious recipes to inspire you.

Originally written in 1971 and re-published last year for its 50-year anniversary, Moore Lappé’s work has been alerting people to how to incorporate plant-based protein-rich meals to their diets. It details the positive ways in which plant-based meals can help rehabilitate our impaired ecology, help us address the increasing climate crisis and introduce more varied meals into our daily lives. In 1971, the first edition was hugely influential about food and sustainability, noting the link between our food and global politics. A significant concern mentioned 50 years ago and sadly reiterated again is how we and accordingly our planet, is unable to meet our most fundamental needs, to keep us fed with healthy food as more waste and ecological damage ensues.

50 years on, the book now also has an audiobook format and is not only full of delicious recipes and simple rules for leading a healthy plant-based diet, but also brilliantly provides a guide for how to plan and prepare meals and snacks. Many of us can help avoid personal food waste by planning our weekly meals and snacks in advance. By looking into our respective larders and fridges, we can plan what to buy based on what we already have. A great section of the book details ‘Kitchen Tips for Eating Well on a Small Planet’, importantly highlighting that, “reducing our food waste isn’t just good for the planet – it is a money-saving proposition!”. Suggestions on the basics to have in the kitchen and what can be added to make simple and delicious meals are incredibly helpful.

In addition, the book details how amplified our food choices are on a global level and the impact that our individual decisions have on the planet.

If you want to follow Frances:

https://annalappe.com/
https://www.facebook.com/francesmoorelappe
https://www.linkedin.com/in/frances-moore-lappe/

If you have any suggestions on books and podcasts – we would love to hear from you!

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