Tru-Cape Fruit Marketing, South Africa’s largest apple and pear marketer, is once again joining hands with local retailer Food Lover’s Market and the food support agency, FoodForward SA, to help combat hunger through the annual World Hunger Month campaign.

Now in its ninth year, the initiative aims to deliver a record-breaking 8mn meals to food-insecure South Africans — a remarkable step up from last year’s already impressive 5mn meals.

“From the outset, it was clear that World Hunger Month was about more than raising awareness — it was about taking action,” said Roelf Pienaar, managing director of Tru-Cape.

“As a company rooted in agriculture, the idea that anyone goes to bed hungry is deeply personal to us. Food is our business, but more than that, it’s our responsibility.”

Throughout May, in the lead-up to World Hunger Day on 28 May, Tru-Cape has supported the campaign through a financial contribution.

In addition, shoppers at Food Lover’s Market stores can contribute by voluntarily purchasing a meal for just 50 cents at checkout, directly helping to feed fellow South Africans in need.

With millions of people currently food-insecure in the country, FoodForward SA plays a vital role by efficiently redistributing quality food to vulnerable communities through their pioneering food banking model.

“We’ve seen firsthand the impact of this campaign — not just in the numbers, but in the lives changed,” Pienaar continued.

So far, Food Lover’s Market has already secured 4.4mn meals for this year’s campaign, and the public can help close the gap.

On 28 May, the retailer will match the number of customer-donated meals, thus doubling the impact of community contributions.

“As a proudly South African business rooted in community, we believe that changing lives starts in the aisles of our stores,” said Terri Coppin-Harris, culture and communication manager at Food Lover’s Market.

“Thanks to our suppliers’ incredible generosity – donating 4.4mn meals – we’re already halfway to our goal,” Cooper-Harris added, “Now, we invite our shoppers to help us cross the finish line together.”