Magnitude and variations of postharvest waste in a South African fresh produce market

Abstract There is a data gap in the magnitude of postharvest waste at the wholesale level of the food value chain in South Africa. This makes the application of evidence-based mitigation strategies challenging. Therefore, this study aimed to quantify postharvest waste at a fresh produce wholesale market in South Africa by analysing three years (2021 to 2023) of historical market data (using the weight of commodities). The results revealed that fresh produce waste levels ranged from 0.68% to 1.26%, translating to 9,124 to 17,969 tonnes of fresh produce discarded annually. The low level of waste is largely attributed to the formalised marketing system and the strategic position of the market, serving several markets (retail, vendors, and direct consumers) in Southern Africa. The discards, typically directed to landfills, contribute to greenhouse gas emissions and exacerbate climate change. Findings indicate that waste peaks during the summer when higher temperatures (an average of 24.7 to 26.87 °C, with the highest average relative humidity of 99.2% to 99.8%) were recorded between 2021 and 2023. The study highlights the amount of waste in the case study market. Future studies can focus on other wholesale markets for comparison of results, which can reveal where urgent intervention attention is needed in the South African fresh produce industry.