South Africans are buying less food - and less nutritious food - as their spending power declines due to inflation; increased transport, electricity and water costs; lower salary increases; and job losses.
“Inflation has significantly increased the cost of basic staples like maize, bread, and vegetables,” says Nicole Ras, the communication manager of Food and Trees for Africa.
World Food Day on October 16 creates awareness of how much hunger there is in society.
It also presents an opportunity to make South Africans aware of what can be done to protect the future of food, people, and the planet.
Ras says that many South Africans cannot afford enough food, particularly low-income households. “Although South Africa provides social grants, they have not kept pace with the rising cost of living. While these grants provide vital support to many, they are often insufficient to cover increasing food prices, leading to greater food insecurity.
“Many areas in South Africa continue to face drought conditions, reducing agricultural yields and contributing to food shortages.
“Erratic weather patterns caused by climate change are exacerbating this problem, making farming less predictable and more expensive.”
According to StatsSA, around 10 million people in South Africa experience food insecurity, says Ras, adding that some reports suggest this number is as high as 20 million people. “This means they don’t have reliable access to sufficient and nutritious food.
“More than 2.5 million people, including many children, go to bed hungry every night. This figure reflects the country’s ongoing challenges of poverty, unemployment, and inequality,” she says.
Andy du Plessis, the MD of FoodForward SA, estimates that more than 10 million tons of food is lost or wasted across our food system.
“According to the CSIR, 27% of food waste is across farms and post-harvest handling, 49% from manufacturing and processing, 6% from retail and wholesale, and 18% from household consumption.”
