Food security should not a one-day event

Food security should not a one-day event

World Food Day has come and gone with comments in some quarters lamenting the state of food security in South Africa and the rest of the world. One of the big questions to answer is how genuine were the concerns that were expressed whether coming food producers, the wholesalers and the retailers?

What are the businesses doing to ensure that low-income households have access to food, and not just junk food, but food that ensures health and the ability to get through the day and carry out daily chores varying from school duties to finding work.

How genuine are the concerns on food security for many of the households when there is so much food thrown away at retailers and wholesalers? How genuine is government in expressing the desire to help destitute families? How practical is the call for families to grow their own food when there is no land, no access to water or even seedlings to enable families to break the cycle of food insecurity?

These are the important questions to answer if we are to ensure that a generation is not condemned to a life of malnutrition and even starvation when there is sufficient capacity and resources to bring about an end to this challenge before us. It is quite clear to see that food security has reached crisis proportions in the country, and what is important is to ensure that it does not reach disastrous levels.

All it will take is level of political will that will be reflected by visible support to households and communities so that next time when we observe World Food Day we reflect on the strides that have been made, and the difference that is felt by those who are battling to put food on the table. It is up to all of us in the food ecosystem.