January 30, 2013 at 5:54 p.m.
TEDxBermuda 2011
Taking from a society of waste and giving to a society of want
Alan Gilbertson, managing director of FoodBank South Africa, spoke of how there are 11 million ‘food insecure’ people in South Africa, despite there being enough food in the country to feed them.
Mr. Gilbertson is part of a project which collects surplus “rescued food” from bakeries, supermarkets and companies such as Unilever and Nestlé.
The items are taken to warehouses where the labels are removed and the food is redistributed to schools and community groups.
Reaping rewards
The theme of Mr. Gilbertson’s speech was ‘Lifting the World With a Lever’, and it focused on how partnering and coordination can reap rewards for those in need.
“The point is all about leverage,” he said.
“Find your passion, use your leverage and lift your world.”
Mr. Gilbertson, a retired former executive with Orbis Investments in Bermuda, said that in South Africa, “food is the new gold”.
“But there is enough food grown in South Africa to feed everybody. It’s just not in the right place at the right time, and having the economics to buy it,” he said.
He spoke of how FoodBank South Africa has grown and its vision of “a South Africa without hunger or malnutrition”.
The network aims to create a food bank in every city and town in the country.
“We find food from every source we can,” said Mr. Gilbertson.
FoodBank South Africa also recycles surplus crops from farmers.
In return for perishable goods, farmers are given non-perishable food items.
At the rural food banks, it also encourages people to grow food and become independent.
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