This comes after a study done by the university found that a large number of students have limited access to sustainable food systems or a balanced diet.

World Food Day is celebrated annually on the 16th of October with the aim of creating awareness among millions of people around the world who are food insecure and do not have access to a nutritious, sustainable food source.

“Being food insecure doesn’t necessarily mean you don’t have food. It also means that you don’t have the right food that can promote your growth and your mental health, also provide energy as well as nutritional value for your brain to study optimally” says Ms Elzmarie Oosthuizen, from the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Science and the Department of Sustainable Food Systems and Development of the UFS.

According to Ms Oosthuizen, in a study done by the Department of Sustainable Food Systems and Development, with 600 participants, it was found that more than 80% of the students have R500- R1000 for monthly essentials. Often, students must divide their budget between utilities, rent, tuition and food. Which is a very limited amount to afford a balanced diet.

Oosthuizen further adds that one of the big factors that contribute to food insecurity amongst students, is not limited to financial constraints but is due to poor time management, as students do not have sufficient time to prepare food and an overall lack of knowledge as to what a balanced diet is.

“They have no idea how much time it takes to balance their planning to have enough time to prepare food. So then they revert to all kinds of starch foods that are not necessarily nutritional,” said Oosthuizen.

According to the department, there is a high consumption of fast food amongst students due to its wide availability and accessibility.

“They revert back to the most basic foods like pap and bread. And fruit is highly unaffordable for them,” Oosthuizen adds.

Currently, the UFS established a food tunnel initiative that forms part of their No Student Hungry (NSH) initiative in order to address the issue of food insecurity among students. The initiative does not only aim to provide students with a meal per day - it also aims to educate students on sustainable food systems by ensuring skills development. The NSH initiative also aims to work towards the sustainable development goal of No Hunger in 2030.

Individuals and organisations that wish to assist the university in their NSH initiative are welcome to make monetary donations or make contributions by donating extra harvested product they can not use, which will go towards the NSH initiative.

OFM News/Bambatha Giko