Read your November 2023 Food & Beverage Reporter Magazine

What a joy it has been to watch the Springboks in action… from those last few nail-biting matches to their triumphant return home.

Siya Kholisi said in one of his interviews, “People who are not from South Africa don’t understand what it means for our country. It is not just about the game. Our country goes through such a lot.” 

He continued with the inspiring statement; “This team just shows what you can do. As soon as we work together, all is possible, no matter on what sphere – in the field, in offices, it shows what we can do.”

That resonated with me, and while the rest of the world may have thought it was just a game, it was symbolic of the challenges that South Africans face every day. It was a parallel for how tough life is here, and how hard we need to push back and fight. And that is just on a personal level.

In the business arena, organisations need to wrestle with economic challenges, a weakening rand, increasing petrol prices, and load shedding – all of which impact the food industry in so many ways.

Just in this edition, we have evidence of more challenges facing the food industry, such as avian flu and allergen risks, and yet we have so many more stories of success, such as the several awards that the Welgevallen Cellar of Stellenbosch University (SU) won at the 33rd Veritas Awards event recently. Or the forecast that Africa’s food and agribusiness will be worth an estimated US$1 trillion by 2030. Or local sustainability champion, Woodlands Dairy, committing to plant hundreds more trees in response to the Department of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment’s appeal.

We have stories of inspiration, such as the article on Gender Equality, Empowering South African women, and the unique African-centric litter reduction campaign that aims for continental impact.

We see thriving innovation in our feature on this year’s Propak Cape exhibition at the Cape Town Convention Centre showcasing key trends driving growth in the South African packaging industry.

What I take away from recent weeks is this… together we can!!

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