Celebrating a powerful partnership and a shared commitment to feeding South Africa
As World Hunger Day is commemorated on 28 May 2025, FoodForward-SA and Food Lover’s Market mark the ninth year of a deeply impactful partnership dedicated to fighting food insecurity in South Africa. This enduring collaboration, anchored in compassion and action, continues to make a real difference in the lives of millions.
A Partnership Rooted in Purpose
Since 2017, Food Lover’s Market has joined forces with FoodForward-SA for its annual World Hunger Month campaign, raising both awareness and funds to combat hunger in South Africa. What began as a bold initiative to address rising food insecurity has evolved into one of the country’s most trusted and consistent private-sector partnerships supporting food redistribution.
The numbers tell a compelling story: over the past eight years, the campaign has contributed more than 8 million meals to vulnerable communities. Each year, customers at Food Lover’s Market stores across the country are invited to add a donation of between 0.50c and R1.00 at checkout—small acts of generosity that collectively result in significant impact.
World Hunger Month 2025: A Call to Action
The 2025 campaign, which ran throughout May, has once again called on South Africans to unite behind a common cause: Zero Hunger. Under the theme “Nourish to Flourish”, this year’s initiative emphasizes the link between nutrition and dignity, aiming to raise enough funds to provide at least 8 million meals to households in need.
Through in-store activations, digital campaigns, and community stories, Food Lover’s Market and FoodForward-SA have engaged the public in meaningful conversations about the right to food, the power of solidarity, and the importance of reducing food waste through redistribution.
This year’s campaign raised an amazing R3,5million, translating into 7million meals.
More Than Just Meals
What makes this partnership so transformative is that it extends beyond just fundraising. It’s about building a sustainable food system—one that rescues surplus food from retailers, manufacturers, and farmers, and redistributes it to a national network of over 2,500 registered beneficiary organisations that collectively reach nearly 1 million vulnerable people daily.
These organisations, offer life-saving services in poor communities, that focus on vulnerable children, the elderly, people with disabilities, and those affected by unemployment and poverty.
Looking Ahead As we mark World Hunger Day 2025, we celebrate more than just a date on the calendar. We honour a nine-year journey of corporate responsibility, community engagement, and collective impact. The partnership between Food Lover’s Market and FoodForward-SA is proof that when business and civil society come together with a shared vision, real change is possible.