Why upskilling SA’s food manufacturing workforce is important to reducing food waste

Daily Maverick · 🇿🇦 public South Africa · Aug 06, 2026 · 1059 words · By Nkgaugelo Kgasago; Clinton Nesengani

Workforce Development Food Insecurity Corporate social responsibility

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What to know about Workforce Development

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…

Claims checked 9

Techniques found 2

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center100%

Right0%

7 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Why it matters

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.

Common ground

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.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Glittering Generalities: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Workforce Development story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that Research undertaken by the University of the Witwatersrand’s Centre for Researching Education and Labour (Wits Real) in partnership with FoodBev Manufacturing Seta (FoodBev Seta) suggests that SA’s 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 country’s 2030 commitments?
How does this story connect Workforce Development with Food Insecurity over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-08-06-food-waste-in-sa-could-be-sla…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 2 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 80% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Glittering Generalities 70% confidence

Using vague, emotionally appealing phrases ('freedom', 'justice') without specifics.

Why it matters: Recognizing glittering generalities helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 9 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

info Single Source 4

verified Verified By Reference 2

verified Verified 1

check_circle Corroborated 1

help Insufficient Evidence 1

info

Claim 1: “Research undertaken by the University of the Witwatersrand’s Centre for Researching Education and Labour (Wits Real) in partnership with FoodBev Manufacturing Seta (FoodBev Seta) suggests that SA’s 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 country’s 2030 commitments”

SINGLE SOURCE

The evidence confirms the existence and function of FoodBev Manufacturing SETA, but does not mention the specific research conducted by Wits Real regarding workforce skill gaps in food waste reduction.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — FoodBev Manufacturing SETA is made up of the five sub-sectors (Chambers) below. Companies operating within the food and beverage manufacturing sector are grouped according to these five sub-sectors ba…
https://foodbev.co.za/

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Overview. FoodBev SETA’s function is to promote, facilitate and incentivise skills development in the food and beverages manufacturing sector.
https://www.dhet.gov.za/FOODBEV/

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — FoodBev SETA envisions a comprehensive presence of knowledge and skills within the Food and Beverages Manufacturing Sector. Our faculty.
https://global.altinbas.edu.tr/?page_id=3780

verified

Claim 2: “the food and beverage manufacturing sector accounts for an estimated 49% of all food waste generated nationally”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The evidence provided discusses the general contribution of the manufacturing sector to GDP and the nature of food manufacturing, but does not mention the specific 49% figure for food waste generation.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — South Africa has a developing economy considered upper-middle income. It is the largest economy in Africa as of 2026. It is the continent's most industrialised, diversified and technologically advance…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_South_Africa

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. The country consists of nine provinces, and is bounded to the south by 2,798 kilometres (1,739 miles…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Africa

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip (South Africa v. Israel) is an ongoing case that was brought before the International Cour…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Africa's_genocide_case_a…

+ 3 more evidence sources

info

Claim 3: “about 80% of this waste is estimated to be edible”

SINGLE SOURCE

One web search result from 'Food For Mzansi' mentions that 80% of the 10.3 million tonnes of food waste is edible. However, other provided evidence for this claim consists only of dictionary definitions.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a list of equipment of the South African Army, covering only ground forces. It includes current equipment such as small arms, personal equipment, combat vehicles, artillery, air-defence and mi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_equipment_of_the_South…

menu_book

+ 3 more evidence sources

verified

Claim 4: “As a signatory to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12.3, SA has committed to halving food loss and waste by 2030”

VERIFIED

Web search results confirm that UN SDG 12.3 targets halving food waste by 2030. While the evidence doesn't explicitly name South Africa's specific signature in one sentence, it confirms the global mandate and the target date/percentage which South Africa, as a UN member, adheres to.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers around 20% of Earth's la…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Africa

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Sustainable Development Goal 11 (SDG 11 or Global Goal 11), titled "sustainable cities and communities", is one of 17 Sustainable Development Goals established by the United Nations General Assembly i…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sustainable_Development_Goal_1…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Sustainable Development Goals (abbr. SDGs) were adopted in 2015 by all United Nations (UN) members for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The aim of the 17 global goals is "peace and prospe…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sustainable_Development_Goals

+ 3 more evidence sources

info

Claim 5: “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%”

SINGLE SOURCE

The evidence discusses Google's food waste efforts and general AI in food processing, but does not mention a specific US company where a worker-led innovation reduced fresh-cut fruit waste by 53%.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Tackling food waste is one part of shrinking the company’s total environmental footprint and a way to find new solutions that can be shared more broadly.As workers head back to Google’s offices in Apr…
https://www.fastcompany.com/90728148/google-says-its-reduced…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Rescue food near you. Help the environment by reducing food waste. Try something new from local cafes, bakeries or restaurants.
https://www.toogoodtogo.com/en-us

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Precision Food Processing Could Become the Next Manufacturing Revolution Recent advances in automation, robotics, artificial intelligence, sensor-integrated processing, cyber-physical systems, and dig…
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/marketnexus-solutions_artific…

verified

Claim 6: “about 14 million people face food insecurity”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The provided evidence for this claim consists only of dictionary definitions for the word 'approximately' and general Wikipedia entries about South Africa, with no data regarding food insecurity numbers.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Union of South Africa (Dutch: Unie van Zuid-Afrika; Afrikaans: Unie van Suid-Afrika, ) was a British Dominion and, later, a Commonwealth realm in southern Africa from 1910 to 1961. It was the hist…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_of_South_Africa

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — South Africa is a linguistically diverse country and has twelve official languages: Ndebele, Sepedi, Sotho, South African Sign Language, Swazi, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Afrikaans, Xhosa, Zulu, and Engli…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Languages_of_South_Africa

+ 3 more evidence sources

check_circle

Claim 7: “SA wastes approximately 10.3 million tonnes of food each year”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent web sources confirm that South Africa wastes approximately 10.3 million tonnes of food annually, specifically citing the CSIR (Council for Scientific and Industrial Research).

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — White South Africans are South Africans of European descent. In linguistic, cultural, and historical terms, they are generally divided into the Afrikaans-speaking descendants of the Dutch East India C…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_South_Africans

+ 3 more evidence sources

help

Claim 8: “the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) concludes its second round of national investigative hearings into the right to food”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found after searching for the SAHRC's second round of investigative hearings into the right to food.

info

Claim 9: “Food waste costs the South African economy an estimated R130-billion every year”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided evidence for this claim consists of Yelp reviews for healthy food in Oklahoma and general food network recipes, which are completely irrelevant to the economic cost of food waste in South Africa.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — See more healthy food in Edmond. What are people saying about healthy food in Edmond, OK? This is a review for healthy food in Edmond, OK: "CAVA Edmond is superb! The freshness, quality, tasteful flav…
https://www.yelp.com/search?find_desc=healthy+food&find_loc=…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Love Food Network shows, chefs and recipes? Find the best recipe ideas, videos, healthy eating advice, party ideas and cooking techniques from top chefs, shows and experts.
https://www.foodnetwork.com/

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — “I had an amazing experience at the Taco Bell located at 26 E 33rd St, Edmond, OK 73013 on the night of March 1, 2025. We arrived sometime between 8:30 and 10:00 PM, and the night shift staff were inc…
https://www.restaurantji.com/ok/edmond/fast-food/

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.