Food manufacturer Tiger Brands plans to invest more than R35-million in infrastructure, including infrastructure aimed at increasing on-site water storage capacity, at its manufacturing facilities to mitigate the impact of loadshedding on municipal water supply.

Forming part of a R120-million capital injection to ensure Tiger Brands’ business continuity at loadshedding Stages 6 to 8, the investment will help ensure the company continues to fulfil the food security role it plays in South Africa.

“Loadshedding brings an entirely new and added threat to water availability in the country since energy drives water flow and without power, our taps run the risk of running dry,” says Tiger Brands chief manufacturing officer Derek McKernan.

“The ability for an organisation such as Tiger Brands to provide essential food items to consumers is obstructed if loadshedding persists and the need for more energy to be loadshed escalates,” he says, highlighting the critical relationship between water and energy and its impact on food security.

The entire food sector value chain is reliant on water, from growing crops to manufacturing food items and distributing it for end-consumer use; however, the prolonged and regular loadshedding is leading to an increase in water infrastructure failures and supply disruptions across South Africa.

South Africans have been experiencing daily loadshedding of between Stages 4 and 6 since the start of the year, with little indication of it easing soon.

“It is crucial for business, particularly those that offer essential services or goods, such as the food sector, to plan for minimal disruption to operations,” he says.

Tiger Brands is also, at a community level, supporting the Ashton municipality in the Western Cape with generators and expertise to ensure water supply for the town, as well as the Langeberg and Ashton Foods manufacturing facility, which is reliant on water for the timeous processing of fresh fruit.

McKernan notes, however, that mitigating the impact of loadshedding on water supply is only one part of Tiger Brands’ all- inclusive approach to minimising its impact on the environment and ensuring the sustainability of the country’s water resources.

Tiger Brands has committed, under a 2030 Sustainable Future strategy, to reduce its water intensity by 30% by actively identifying and implementing water-use reduction initiatives across its sites, as well as cultivating a culture of water stewardship among employees.

During the financial year ended September 30, 2022, the company achieved a 7.1% year-on-year reduction in water-use intensity across its operations.