Every day, edible fruit and vegetables are discarded across Johannesburg while millions of South Africans struggle to put food on the table. New research from the University of Johannesburg (UJ) reveals that the problem is not a lack of willingness, but systemic barriers that leave retailers without the infrastructure, and support needed to keep edible produce out of landfill.
Both informal traders and formal retailers overwhelmingly believe disposal is the only effective way to manage fruit and vegetable waste, despite alternatives such as food donation, composting, and processing that could reduce waste, cut greenhouse gas emissions, and strengthen food security.
The findings come as food waste has emerged as one of the world’s most pressing sustainability challenges. According to the United Nations, an estimated 1.05 billion tonnes of food was wasted globally in 2022, equivalent to nearly one-fifth of all food available to consumers. Yet, in the same year, 783 million people experienced hunger, while discarded food accounted for between 8 and 10 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions.
South Africa reflects this paradox. An estimated 44 percent of the country’s fruit and vegetables are lost or wasted, despite persistent food insecurity affecting millions of households. The findings suggest that reducing food waste is not only an environmental imperative but also an opportunity to strengthen food security, reduce emissions, and build a more resilient food system.
Conducted in the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality’s Region F, one of the country’s busiest commercial districts, the study surveyed 161 retailers, including 118 informal fruit and vegetable traders and 43 formal retailers, to better understand why so much produce ends up in landfill instead of being redistributed, repurposed, or recovered.
The research was conducted by Cavin Moreetsi and Dr Mpinane Senekane from the Department of Environmental Health at UJ.
Lead researcher, Moreetsi, says the findings challenge the perception that retailers simply choose the easiest option. “This is not primarily a waste problem. It is a systems problem”.
The research paints a stark picture of the challenges facing informal traders. Almost 96 percent reported having no access to waste management infrastructure such as dedicated collection points or composting facilities, while 87 percent said they receive no government support for managing fruit and vegetable waste. Nearly 70 percent identified financial constraints as their greatest obstacle. Perhaps most concerning, the overwhelming majority believed disposal is the only effective way to manage fruit and vegetable waste, despite indicating that they would readily follow official guidance if practical support were available.
Formal retailers generally demonstrated stronger awareness and operated within established individual internal food waste policies and staff training programmes. Yet they shared the same fundamental misconception that disposal remains the primary solution. Most still rely on conventional waste bins, with only a small proportion donating surplus produce or diverting it for processing.
According to the researchers, the findings have implications that extend far beyond waste management. When fruit and vegetables decompose in a landfill, they release methane, a greenhouse gas far more potent than carbon dioxide over the short term. When fruit and vegetables are produced, resources such as land, energy, water, and labour are used; thus, when these food items are wasted, the resources are similarly wasted
“In a country where food insecurity remains a daily reality for many families, reducing food waste should be viewed as an environmental, economic, and social concern,” says Moreetsi.
Rather than focusing only on educating retailers, the researchers argue that meaningful progress requires coordinated action across government, municipalities and businesses. They recommend expanding waste management infrastructure in informal trading areas, enforcing municipal waste bylaws, strengthening food donation networks, supporting partnerships with organizations that redistribute surplus food, and investing in circular economy initiatives that transform food waste into compost, animal feed, bioenergy, and other valuable products. The study also found that retailers are receptive to government guidance, suggesting that stronger collaboration between municipalities and retailers could substantially reduce food waste.
The authors believe the findings provide an opportunity for retailers and municipalities to rethink their approaches to fruit and vegetable waste management
“Every crate of edible produce diverted from landfill represents an opportunity to reduce emissions, strengthen food security, support livelihoods, and build a more resilient urban food system. The solutions already exist. What is needed now is coordinated action to put them into practice,” he says.
