Household food wastage in a developing country: A case study of Mamelodi Township in South Africa

Abstract

In many developing countries, including those with food shortages a large portion of household waste is estimated to be food. This paper reports on findings of a research study conducted in one of South Africa’s largest townships (Mamelodi) within the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality. The research was conducted using structured questionnaires to assess the amount and types of food waste generated in the households and to determine the main causes for food wastage. Only 18% of interviewed households agreed that they waste food, while 82% didn’t concede to wasting food. The results indicated that in 58% of households in Mamelodi the largest portion of food waste was porridge, while 26% and 16% of households mainly wasted rice and bread respectively. The main causes for food wastage according to this study were in excess preparation porridge and rice; bread reaching the expiry date before being consumed, and buying in excess.