According to the Human Science Research Council (HSRC), an estimated 14 million people go to bed hungry in South Africa, while more than 1 000 children died from malnutrition in 2025. The significant issue of food insecurity is once again in the spotlight this World Food Day, observed annually around the globe on 16 October 2026.
Despite South Africa’s productive agricultural sector, millions of households continue to experience food insecurity, with children being particularly vulnerable.
This is according to Tasneem Sulaiman-Bray, director of Corporate Affairs at Agrimark, one of South Africa’s leading agricultural retailers and part of the JSE-listed KAL Group
A 2024 national survey found that nearly two-thirds of all households were affected by food insecurity, and nearly 30% of children under five suffered from stunting linked to chronic malnutrition. In 2026 the SA government announced a major plan to tackle child stunting and malnutrition, targeting the crucial first 1000 days of a child’s life, setting 2030 as the target date to end the scourge.
Sulaiman-Bray says that Agrimark is heeding the government’s call to end malnutrition in children and have various projects underway in this regard. While some of these projects run throughout the year, they gain momentum during October, which is recognised as National Food Security Awareness Month.
“Our focus this month and on World Food Day is on making a difference through local partnerships that help us reach communities where support is needed most. In Prince Albert in the Western Cape, we will reach 650 people, including children, by providing food parcels to vulnerable families and households,” says Sulaiman-Bray.
She says that this initiative will strengthen local food systems, support households and help alleviate hunger in vulnerable communities across the Western Cape.
Rising against hunger at Early Childhood Development Centres
Through its partnership with Rise Against Hunger, Agrimark provides nutritious meals to children attending unfunded ECD centres.
“Over the past four years, employees from across KAL Group prepared 157 494 meal packs – made of rice, soya, dehydrated vegetables and essential vitamins and minerals. These have benefitted more than 680 children, who receive meals for an entire school year through our partnership,” says Sulaiman-Bray.
On one day alone this year, the company’s employees rallied across its Western Cape and Gauteng business sites to pack meals for 222 children, enough lunches for one school year, as part of its Mandela Day activities.
When asked why this initiative is particularly important to KAL Group, Sulaiman-Bray explains that supporting food security is a natural extension of the Group’s core business in agriculture and food systems. It also aligns with two UN Sustainable Development Goals prioritised by the business, namely Zero Hunger and Quality Education.
“The partnership focusses on ECD centres that are not currently funded by government. By providing nutritious meals, we help free up limited ECD centre financial resources that can be directed towards educational materials, improved facilities and better learning environments,” says Sulaiman-Bray.
The group supported two ECD centres in Gauteng, in addition to supporting four in the Western Cape, further increasing the number of beneficiaries reached through the programme.
“The ECD centres have been able to redirect these savings to infrastructure improvements – adding additional classrooms, perimeter walls and painting – and much needed classroom equipment such as learning materials, tables and chairs.”
Reducing food waste
Another partnership that is central to Agrimark’s commitment to food security, is Harvesting Hope, a food rescue programme in partnership with OneFarm Impact, which addresses food insecurity by proactively reducing the amount of fruit and vegetables that go to waste in the farm to fork value chain.
“It brings together Agrimark's farmers and packhouses with food distribution partners to collect out-of-spec and surplus fresh produce and deliver it to communities in need, rather than letting it go to waste,” says Sulaiman Bray.
Since 2023, Harvesting Hope has redistributed more than 1 million kilograms of fresh produce, equivalent to around 97,000 shopping baskets, to vulnerable families across the Western Cape. The programme has provided the equivalent of more than 4.3 million meals to over 310,000 people, including 1054 tonnes of rescued produce and 128 tonnes of fruit and vegetables purchased from small-scale farmers.
Agrimark customers have also contributed, having donated 170 tonnes of apples through SA Harvest, FoodForward SA and Gift of the Givers, as well as 366 tonnes of citrus through SA Harvest.
Sowing the seeds for everyone to contribute to food security
Sulaiman-Bray says Agrimark’s message this World Food Day is that everyone has a role to play in improving food security – including individuals and communities – and that no effort is too small.
“Every initiative – from supporting nutrition at ECD centres to rescuing surplus produce – contributes to more resilient, food-secure communities. Meaningful progress is possible when businesses, producers, government and communities act together,” concludes Sulaiman-Bray.