This week, on October 16, the UN commemorates World Food Day under the theme “Hand in Hand for Better Foods and a Better Future”. The message is clear: addressing food security requires collaboration across countries, sectors, and communities.
For Woolworths, this call to action aligns strongly with its Inclusive Justice Initiative (IJI), a social justice programme that is driven by meaningful partnerships with diverse stakeholders including employees, community-based organisations, development institutions and suppliers.
Through IJI, Woolworths takes a social justice approach to tackling hunger and empowering communities.
We spoke to Zinzi Mgolodela, Woolworths’ director of Corporate Social Justice, about why food security matters, the company’s role in addressing it, and the partnerships driving meaningful change.
Why is this year’s World Food Day theme so important?
World Food Day is a global call to action, uniting nations in the fight against hunger and in pursuit of the UN’s goal of #ZEROHUNGER by 2030. This year’s theme is particularly powerful because it highlights the need for collective action in creating a peaceful, sustainable, prosperous, and food-secure future.
In SA the challenge is stark, with 15.9-million* people facing limited access to food, while over a third of the food produced in our country goes to waste every year. It is deeply paradoxical that in a resource-rich country so many still go hungry.
Why is food security so important to Woolworths?
At Woolworths, we believe that access to food is a human right. Hunger is not just about people going to bed with empty stomachs — it violates human dignity.
Through our IJI, we’re committed to solutions that go beyond short-term relief. Our focus is on building systems that empower people and communities to sustain themselves. This means equipping households with the skills and resources to grow their own food, while ensuring that those who are most vulnerable can access nutritious meals in a dignified way.
All our efforts are driven by the belief that no one is left behind — that everyone deserves access to nutritious food and the opportunity to participate in building thriving, sustainable food systems.
How does Woolworths view its role in addressing food security?
As a participant in the food system, we recognise the responsibility to be an active, accountable partner, so it is important to us to collaborate and partner with organisations, our peers and communities to reshape our food system.
Over the past five years, Woolworths has invested over R40m in local organisations working to strengthen food security — whether by supporting small-scale farmers, enabling community gardens, or providing immediate hunger relief.
These partnerships are not one-way. By working closely with community organisations, we learn as much as we share. For example, insights from our partners inspired us to host a financial resilience workshop to help our community partners strengthen their own financial viability to build long-term sustainability.
Can you tell us more about the partnerships that Woolworths has in place to enhance food security?
Most of our partnerships are designed for lasting impact, but we also support immediate food security relief where it is needed.
FoodForward SA (FFSA)
We partner with FFSA in alleviating hunger across the country through donation of surplus food.
Over the past year, we donated R857m worth of surplus food through FFSA’s innovative programme managed by the FoodShare digital platform to make excess food accessible. This food reached 2,500 vetted beneficiary organisations providing the equivalent of 52.2-million meals.
Woolworths alone accounted for 63% of all food distributed by FFSA in the past financial year — providing meals to 920,000 South Africans at risk of food insecurity daily while also creating jobs for unemployed youth.
Living Soils Community Learning Farm
In partnership with Woolworths, Spier Wine Farm, the Sustainability Institute and other stakeholders in the agriculture sector, the Living Soils Community Learning Farm offers young black farmers — predominantly women — hands-on training in sustainable and regenerative farming.
The farm produces nutritious food for local communities while also building livelihoods, making it a powerful example of how agriculture can secure long-term change.
Based on the success of Living Soils, we are planning to replicate the model, starting in Gauteng, to expand learning opportunities for upcoming black women farmers and further strengthen local food security.
Community food security projects
Beyond these initiatives, we also partner with seven community projects across SA, mainly in rural areas. These programmes focus on empowering households and communities to grow their own food using regenerative farming principles, while also building food production as a sustainable source of income.
A great example is Thanda, an NPO based in rural KwaZulu-Natal. Through its Food Security & Economic Development programme, it supports 31 collective farms (380 farmers) and 650 households with smaller backyard and home gardens. Families and smallholders are guided in organic, climate-resilient farming techniques that improve soil health, increase yields, and create income streams.
In the past year alone, Thanda supported farmers to produce vegetables valued at more than R8.7m, which were consumed, sold, or donated within the local community — showing how food security can drive both nutrition and economic resilience.
This World Food Day’s theme reminds us that the fight against hunger cannot be won in isolation. Collaboration is key. By joining forces — individuals, communities, businesses, and governments — we can transform agrifood systems so that everyone can access a healthy diet while living in harmony with the planet.
This article was sponsored by Woolworths.
*STATS SA 2024
