FFSA was established in 2009 to address widespread hunger in South Africa. It is the largest food redistribution charity in South Africa, and part of a global movement focused on alleviating hunger, and reducing environmental impact by diverting good quality edible surplus food. This is achieved by recovering surplus food from farmers, manufacturers, and retailers, for redistribution to registered beneficiary organisations that serve the poor. This cost-effective model is known as Foodbanking. In its last fiscal year, FoodForward SA recovered 4,200 tons of food and redistributed this to over 1,000 organisations throughout the country.