Vice President of the South African Chefs Association Coovashan Pillay was invited to speak, declaring that all chefs and cooks from all walks of life have a role to play in transforming food systems. Chef Coo felt that just talking about sustainability is not enough – we must also educate so that people fully understand what this word means, and not fall into the trap of greenwashing the importance of being truly sustainable.

With food waste a critical issue in South Africa, he felt this must be one of the educational touch points that permeates into all facets of the food industry, together with understanding carbon footprints. The South African Chefs Association (SA Chefs) alone has rescued tonnes and tonnes of food ‘waste’, making and delivering over 7 million meals to people in South Africa. That is an astounding number! Lastly, Chef Coovasham shared the importance of championing indigenous cuisines and heritage cuisines across the country.

Chef Lorna picked up where Chef Coovashan left off, sharing that:

“The world is waiting to see what South Africa has to offer on the culinary stage!”

According to Chef Lorna, it’s up to the chefs in Action Hub room to bring it to the forefront.

Thanking all the partners and the supporters of the days event, Lorna handed over to our very own CEO Paul Newnham, to share on how and why the Chefs’ Manifesto came into existence. Grounding the Chefs’ Manifesto as a collaboration by chefs for chefs, to drive food systems change, Paul gave dozens of examples from within South Africa, and across the African continent, of how chefs are creating change.

Dr Hema Kesa, Director of the Food Evolution Research Laboratory (FERL), shared on the work at the lab, where they focus on: healthy lifestyles and trying to maintain healthy lifestyles; helping people to eat correctly; nutrition education; advocating for food security and healthy communities; all through the use of technology. FERL wants to bring the research in to the food space, by bringing in the facts.

Core themes FERL focus on are:

• Nutrition transition and food evolution: how can we provoke conversations on the evolution of food to bring people back to their indigenous diets, linking closely to nutrition?

• Food away from home: wherever you eat food, is it good for you? Where is it being grown? Do you know the source?

• School feeding programmes: national school nutrition programme (NSNP) conducted a national study on food waste from the breakfast programmes to measure if children were eating their meals – if the kids don’t eat their meals, they don’t optimise their learning.

• Food waste management: students who work in all different food environments.

Dr Hema highlighted the key links between FERL’s research and the Chefs’ Manifesto, and how partnering together, we can ground practical food systems transformation actions, in research.

Chef Lorna transitioned the session into an inspiring and thought-provoking panel discussion, focussed on “Decolonising our food system to harness the power of our indigenous foods for food security and planetary health”.

On the panel were Dr Hema Kesa, Dr Brittany Castelmaine, post doctoral research fellow at University of Cape Town, food advocate Josephine Katumba, Operations Manager or GCwalisa – a retail outlet based in Townships, Chef and consultant Arabella Parkinson, and last but not least, Siphiwe Sithole from African Marmalade, a farmer and entrepreneur who focuses on indigenous African crops.

The first question posed to the panel was:

What are heritage foods and what are indigenous foods?

Dr Hema explained how indigenous foods refers to where the food is grown and where it comes from originally, wheres heritage foods come from all the cultures within a country. In this case, indigenous foods are those from South Africa.

Dr Brittany provided historical insight, noting that when countries were colonised, indigenous foods were marginalised and pushed to the sides. Colonisers grew their own foods to import and export, telling local people that indigenous foods were ‘less than’. We need to go back to our core values as a people group, to recover indigenous foods and work with the land, nourish communities, and understand the history of the indigenous crops and ingredients.

Chef Arabella highlighted the importance of eating foods that are native to the land we live on, and how it directly benefits our health. Industrialised food systems are driving yields, but they have destroyed the diversity of our food systems. It’s not only about bringing the crops back, but also the farming methods. It is very difficult for smallholders to compete with industrialised giants, using agro-ecology principles. Moreover, does the average South African even know what indigenous ingredients are? We need to start with education.

Following on from this question, Lorna asked:

How do we educate citizens on South African indigenous ingredients at the grassroots?

Josephine Katumba emphasised the critical role of engaging directly with customers and communities. At GCwalisa, they take a bottom-up approach, working closely with local communities to introduce ingredients like the bambara groundnut. Despite the availability of nutrient-rich local foods high in Vitamin A and C, many South Africans rely on supplements due to a lack of education about their food sources. By partnering with chef associations, they hope to expand this knowledge.

“People are interested in knowing what’s in their food and that starts with conversations.”

Josephine also highlighted the limitations of promoting non-native crops like quinoa, which isn’t grown in South Africa and does little to support local livelihoods. Instead, we should be promoting indigenous grains like finger or pearl millet, she stressed. These crops are better suited to the local climate and can contribute to food security by reconnecting consumers with local farmers, connecting with seasons, and and educating around indigenous foods to support biodiversity.

“Knowing your farmer means connecting with the seasons and understanding that food is more than just sustenance—it’s about biodiversity.”

Part of building relationships with both the food and the farmer begins by investigating and addressing barriers to accessing indigenous foods, including accessibility, affordability, and education. Josephine noted that affordability and accessibility are significant issues, particularly for youth, who often can’t identify crops that are indigenous, don’t know where to find it, or find they are too expensive.

There is also a lack of knowledge about protein-rich vegetables and crops that can serve as protein alternatives to meat, drawing attention to the link between poor dietary education and South Africa’s high obesity rates, the highest in Sub-Saharan Africa. Food education needs to start in schools, she urged, advocating for policy changes that would encourage schools to grow their own food. This is one area where F.E.R.L is working together with local chefs.

Dr Brittany Castelmaine raised concerns about the widespread use of genetically modified (GMO) seeds, explaining that when small farmers adopt these seeds, they experience short-term yields but are pushed towards monoculture. “With GMO seeds, all crop diversity disappears,” she explained. She called for a return to indigenous African crops that can be replanted, allowing farmers to become seed guardians and protect their agricultural heritage.

“Whoever controls the seeds, controls what we eat!”

In order to decolonise, we need to challenge the industrial food system. In discussing lessons from other countries that have successfully decolonised their food systems, Josephine explained that the industrialised food system is built on colonial models.

“We need to stimulate curiosity and political thinking, to challenge assumptions about where our food comes from and how it’s produced.”

Dr Brittany pointed out the importance of accountability for large food corporations, calling out greenwashing and misleading labels that obscure the true impact of the products we consume. She called for consumers to be more critical and proactive, using tools like social media to put pressure on duty-bearers to hold companies accountable.

Josephine highlighted that South Africa’s water scarcity is closely linked to agricultural policy. Being a water-scarce country, South Africa needs policymakers to confront environmental realities, and align policy goals to address the climate crisis, including better access to climate-resilient, indigenous crops.

Programs like the Sorghum Trust were mentioned as potential platforms for change, but Dr Brittany pointed out that these initiatives often include mostly white, industrial farmers, pushing maize rather than supporting the needs and solutions put forward by smallholder farmers.

She noted that government listens to commercial farmers, not smallholders, and this needs to change, stressing the need for a more inclusive approach to food systems.

The panel also discussed how chefs could influence government policy, leveraging their influencer and role as ambassadors, helping to drive tourism by making South African a gastronomic destination.

The discussion then turned to the role of academics in making complex research more accessible to consumers.

Dr Hema Kesa acknowledged that much of their work is published in academic journals, which limits its accessibility to the general public. “We need to simplify our research and make it more digestible,” she admitted, emphasizing the importance of leveraging technology. She suggested the development of apps focused on waste management and food education, ideally translated into local languages to ensure broader reach.

“We have to make sure we’re speaking to people in their own language.”

She highlighted the need for academics to engage with media platforms like radio, TV, and social media.

Dr Brittany pointed out that many South Africans live under strict financial constraints, often making decisions based solely on affordability. “Offering alternatives to maize, for example, can feel offensive because people simply can’t afford anything else,” she explained. The challenge, she said, is in finding ways to offer practical, affordable alternatives without alienating those for whom maize is a staple.

Both Dr Brittany and Dr Hema agreed that info-tainment—blending information with entertainment—has a powerful role to play in this context. South Africans love to tell stories and be entertained, suggesting that drama and entertainment can be used to convey important messages about food security, nutrition, and sustainable practices. She also emphasized the importance of visual communication, such as graphics, since not everyone reads or engages with written material.

Their shared message was clear: to reach broader audiences, academics must embrace local languages, technology, and the cultural affinity for storytelling to effectively communicate the critical information needed to drive change in the food system. And chefs have a huge role to play.

The formal part of the day was brought to a close, with a vibrant cooking demonstration by Chef Mokgadi Itsweng and Chef Pinky Maruping, who showcased how to incorporate indigenous ingredients into everyday meals. They demonstrated creative ingredient swaps, with Chef Mokgadi preparing a delicious mushroom sorghum risotto and Chef Pinky a smoked mpepo cauliflower with red pepper and cowpea hummus, topped with herbed beans.

After the interactive, informative and delicious-smelling demo, everyone gathered outside to share a communal lunch, featuring a variety of dishes made from indigenous crops. Sitting together at a shared long table, attendees enjoyed:

• Mushroom sorghum risotto
• Smoked mpepo cauliflower with red pepper and cowpea hummus, with a herbed bean topping
• Trail mix with spinach, chickpeas, red kidney beans, cranberries, and pumpkin skins
• Millet and sorghum power bowl
• Bambara groundnut curry
• Chakalakka with beans
• Sorghum chocolate cake
• Indigenous craft teas like ginger and baobab with mpepo, and lemon bush lemonade

Chef Lorna closed the event by thanking the partners and supporters, including Blue Water Group Africa, the SA Chefs Association, the University of Johannesburg, the Food Evolution Research Laboratory, GCwalisa, and the Local Food Village for making the day possible and for their commitment to promoting indigenous foods for a healthier and more sustainable future for all.

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Take Action

There are so many ways to get involved in the Chefs’ Manifesto, in person and online!

• Together with Beans is How, help us put #beansonthemenu and be a part of the movement to help double global bean consumption! Beans are a simple, affordable solution to our global health, climate and cost of living challenges. Help make beans more visible, accessible and exciting to diners, encouraging a shift towards more healthy and sustainable diets. Sign up here!

• Throughout September we are featuring Thematic Area 6: A focus on plant-based ingredients. Are you excited to share with others how you are advocating for this theme and making vegetables, beans and pulses the centre of your dishes? Get in touch with us!

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Host Your Own Action Hub Event

Interested in running a Chefs’ Manifesto Action Hub in your town?

Get in touch with us!

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