Keep the focus on the health of South Africans.

By Bilal Mpazayabo | 22 October 2024

Media Statement 

22 October 2024

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Keep the focus on the health of South Africans.

HEALA acknowledges the recent comments from SA Canegrowers, which attempt to question the nature of our organisation as not being “home-grown.” This diversionary tactic is timed to shift attention away from the proven, life-saving effects of the South African Health Promotion Levy (HPL) and the irrefutable connection between excessive sugar consumption and diseases such as diabetes. With the mid-term budget speech approaching, it is vital to stay focused on what matters most: the health of South Africans.

HEALA is fully transparent regarding its staff, organisational journey, and funding sources—all publicly available. Moreover, we collaborate extensively with South African universities and local NGOs in our health promotion efforts, which cover multiple aspects of the food system. These partners, like HEALA, are transparent about their funding, and it is essential to note that none of our funders profit from our food justice advocacy. It is important to underline that philanthropy support has always played a critical role in responding to socio-economic needs in this country and that HEALA’s work is not an exception. In the spirit of transparency, we ask SA Canegrowers to disclose the origin of their funding and confirm whether it is free from any profit-driven motives.

The attempt to distract from the substance of this debate is telling. The policy rationale for the Health Promotion Levy is backed by a wide range of experts, including the World Health Organization, the South African Department of Health, the Treasury, economists, and public health specialists locally and internationally. Sugar taxation has been shown to reduce the amount of sugar added to beverages, discourage the consumption of sugary drinks, and generate government revenue—all while promoting public health. This model has been successfully used for tobacco and alcohol taxes, and it is no different for sugar.

In a country where more than 4.2 million people live with diabetes—now the second-leading cause of death after tuberculosis—this is a critical health intervention. The data is clear: households facing food insecurity are also often dealing with weight-related diseases like diabetes, hypertension, and high cholesterol. These diseases not only threaten lives but also impose crippling financial burdens on families already struggling to make ends meet.

An honest, home-grown debate on the HPL should focus on these realities. It should prioritise South Africans’ long-term health and financial well-being, particularly those most affected by non-communicable diseases. We urge SA Canegrowers and other stakeholders to engage in this debate with the same transparency and commitment to public health that HEALA brings to the table.

“ENDS”

About HEALA: HEALA is a coalition of civil society organisations advocating for equitable access to affordable, nutritious food in South Africa by building a more just food system.

For media interviews contact:

Bilal Mpazayabo, HEALA Social Media Coordinator

Bilal@heala.org | 0612374651

African civil society organisations launch report on how the  Sugar Industry blocks vital public health policies for Healthier Societies 

Media Statement 

17 October 2024

For Immediate Release

African civil society organisations launch report on how the  Sugar Industry blocks vital public health policies for Healthier Societies
 

African civil society organisations working to promote and defend sugar-sweetened beverage taxes in Cameroon, Nigeria, and South Africa have, today, jointly released the report, “Sweetened Profits: The Industry’s Playbook to Fight Sweetened Beverage Taxes,” exposing the beverage industry’s Global campaign to oppose taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs).
 
The report, first unveiled in September 2024 by the Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI), is being re-presented regionally to highlight efforts by the Sweetened Beverage industry to weaken governments’ efforts to adopt this important public health intervention on the continent, and as part of activities for the Global Week for Action on non-communicable diseases (NCDs) from 14 – 21 October.
 
GHAI’s comprehensive analysis demonstrates how the beverage industry, also called Big Soda, uses a global playbook of strategies to thwart government efforts to reduce the consumption of sugary drinks, a known driver of obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and other serious health problems. These tactics undermine public health initiatives while also negatively impacting environmental sustainability.
 
It comes just as African nations are grappling with soaring rates of diet-related non-communicable diseases, with organisations including RADA in Cameroon, pushing for a sweetened beverage and UPP tax, while CAPPA in Nigeria and the Healthy Living Alliance (HEALA) in South Africa continue to protect the existing tax and call for government to strengthen it to reach its public health objective.
 
“While the global community is working towards creating healthier populations, Big Soda is using its influence to derail policies that could save millions of lives and billions in healthcare costs,” said Verónica Schoj, Vice President, Food and Nutrition, GHAI. 

“Our report reveals the depth and breadth of the industry’s efforts to protect its profits at the expense of public health.”
 
Through exhaustive monitoring and analysis, GHAI identified five strategies employed by Big Soda to obstruct SB taxes across more than 25 countries. These include:


1.      Economic Alarmism: As seen in Nigeria and Pakistan, economic arguments are employed to suggest that SB taxes would lead to job losses and economic downturns.


2.      Exploiting Social Concerns: Efforts in Indonesia show how the industry uses corporate social responsibility to overshadow their products’ negative health impacts.


3.       Manipulating Tax Designs: Instances such as in Vietnam, where industry bodies have pushed to exclude certain drinks from taxation.


4.      Mounting Legal Challenges: Examples from Colombia and Spain highlight how legal threats and challenges are used to intimidate governments and contest the legality of SB taxes.


5.      Discrediting Scientific Evidence: Tactics observed in Guam and China where industry-funded research is leveraged to question the effectiveness of SB taxes.
 
“In Nigeria, beverage companies continue to exploit false narratives and inaccurate health claims with disregard for the health of the people,” said Akinbode Oluwafemi, Executive Director, [CAPPA].  “Their approach does not only show their focus on profit but reinforces the alarming way they mislead the public and interfere in policy processes,” he concluded. 

In Cameroon, industry is highly involved in sports and donation of hospital related equipment and facilities. “These masks the negative impact of the source of the financing for their philanthropy” said Ferdinant M. Sonyuy, the President/CEO of RADA, in Cameroon. 

In South Africa, “the sugar industry uses the same playbook tactics employed by  the tobacco, alcohol, gambling, and ultra-processed food industries, which are often a barrier to the implementation of public health policies. These come at a high cost for ordinary citizens who carry the burden of ill health,” said Nzama Mbalati, the CEO of HEALA 

The GHAI report calls on policymakers, civil society and health advocates to anticipate and counter these tactics with robust, evidence-based SB tax designs that prioritise health over industry profits.

Ends

For media interviews please contact:

Bilal Mpazayabo 

0612374651 | Bilal@heala.org

HEALA celebrates eight years of food advocacy with new insights for SA’s National School Nutrition Programme.

The issues, challenges and opportunities of South Africa’s National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP) came under the spotlight as researchers, experts, activists and policymakers presented their own experiences and insights  as part of the Healthy Living Alliance’s (HEALA) two-day Schools Food Environment Assembly Programme which took place at the Anew Hotel on Wednesday and Thursday (October 9 and 10).

This programme highlighted the need for collaborative efforts between various stakeholders to ensure that the more than 9 million beneficiaries of NSNP across 21 000 SA schools realise the full benefits of the country’s government-led NSNP programme.

This is in light of the 2022/2023 report which indicates that the South African government spent just over R8,4 billion during the 2022/23 financial year on its nationwide school feeding scheme. 

However, in light of the recent budget cuts, announced by the government, concerns have been raised that these austerity measures will adversely affect the ongoing efforts of ensuring every child receives a healthy and nutritious meal even if it is once a day.

The discussions delved deeper into some of these challenges with the aim of finding practical solutions in spite of a challenging economic environment.

On the first day of the programme, experts from various fields including from advocacy groups, civil society, academia, health, medicine, agriculture, government departments and school governing bodies spent the day in various panel discussions aimed at highlighting the plight of the country’s young people and government’s efforts in addressing poverty levels in our education system.

 In his keynote address which kicked off the first day of the conference, Professor Scott Drimmie of the Stellenbosch University’s division of human nutrition, department of global health and medicine sciences, revealed that even though the country’s NSNP has moved learners out of poverty, there has been some missed opportunities by government in ensuring that hunger and poverty is eradicated through innovative and cost -effective procurement programmes and sustainable agricultural practices.

“We need to look at what we can do to leverage procurement and how to use this to support and promote agroecology for sustainable livelihoods,” he said.

“There is urgency in finding long-lasting solutions and there are strong arguments being made on key impact areas in our school nutrition programmes. We need to start thinking about the systems and about deliverables,” he further elaborated.

Dr Nomathemba Chindiwana, principal scientist and director at Ezintsha, Mr Gilbert Tshitaudzi, Unicef SA’s nutritionist manager, Ms Palesa Ramolefo food justice campaigner at Amandla.Mobi and Professor Lisanne Du Plesis tackled the first panel discussion titled, “Why and What? Childhood diet in SA” which touched on childhood diet and health in SA, improving children’s food environment as well as the effects of high food prices and marketing in school premises and other key areas affecting children.

The second panel discussion which was led by another group of local and international experts, including Brazilian school nutrition activist, Ms Giorgia RussoDr Michelle Brear, Priceless SA, researcher and Black Sash’s National Advocacy Manager, Ms Hoodah Abrahams-Fayker  expanded the discourse by tackling the panel titled: “How to impact children’s nutrition” with Hoodah tackling the role of social protection, Dr Brear tackling the impact of outdoor advertising on the psyche and behaviour of children as they grow up and transition into adulthood.

Giorgia gave a compelling comparative breakdown of how the Brazilian model of school nutrition programme compares well with the South African model even though differences in approach could be discerned.

On the second day, she further elaborated on some of the models used by her home country to encourage family farming initiatives which have been legislatively implemented since 1995 as a way to promote child nutrition in schools and communities.

“Brazil has a model that has a process of implementing and promoting nutrition. This model also prioritises school feeding councils who conduct food inspection as a way of monitoring. Under the Family Agriculture National Policy of 1995, Brazil prioritises and supports family farming through Rural Technical Assistance and the Food Procurement Programme (PAA),” she said.

Other experts who took part in panel discussions include, Dr Edzani Mphaphuli of Grow Great, Ms Mavis Ranwedzi, the basic education’s nutritionist programme director, Ms Matshidiso Lencoasa from the Bridget Justice Coalition and Section 27’S Sasha Stevenson as they tackled the discussion themed: The National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP) as a key impact space” which looked into issues the history and impact of NSNP, looming budget cuts and perspectives from Early Childhood Development (ECD).

Healthcare workers, food handlers, local farmers, food producers and School Governing Bodies, labour and education researchers brought into sharp focus some of the issues affecting quality nutrition in schools as well as some of the underlying issues affecting procurement of nutritious food items for schools. This multi-layered session was led by Dr Asafika Mbangata from the Rural Association, HEALA CEO, Nzama Mbalati, Western Cape researcher, Professor Rina Swart, Equal Education’s Ms Nontikelelo Dlulani and Dullah Omar Institute’s researcher, Ms Paula KnipeMs Nosipho Twala, among others.

Theft of food meant for learners in schools, ensuring safe food storage, procurement of healthy and nutritious foods and challenges faced by food handlers, educators and other role players formed part of the robust engagement of this session.

Following a series of robust and serious engagements, the first day of a two-day programme culminated in a grand gala dinner that not only marked the re-launch of the Healthy Living Alliance (HEALA) but also celebrated an impressive eight years of advocacy for healthier food choices across South Africa. 

The auspicious occasion served as an opportunity for guests, partners and other HEALA stakeholders to reflect on the remarkable journey of the organisation, which has fostered awareness and inspired a movement towards nutritional wellbeing in communities nationwide.

As the celebrations winded down, HEALA CEO, Nzama Mbalati quipped: “I have not told my team this, but I think HEALA is a political organisation and not necessarily a political party. It is about political mobilisation and an organisation that wants to change the norms of the current food systems,” he said.

 Day two led by facilitators such as Sheldon Petersen and Angelika GrimeekDasantha Pillay and Lucilla Blankenberg,Allice Khan and Eunice Montso, Nqabutho Mpofu, Ptronell Kruger, Nzama Mbalati and Sameera Mahomedy was dedicated to intimate breakaway sessions on key thematic issues with the aim of answering questions raised from the issues under discussion in a bid to bring about practical solutions to the NSNP programme.

During the final plenary, group leaders from the five designated groups took to the stage to unveil a host of actionable solutions. Among the most notable proposals was the integration of local agricultural initiatives to bolster food sourcing—an idea that not only seeks to improve meal quality but also aims for sustainability by supporting local farmers.

Among these was the empowerment of young people to be roped in as nutritionist, dietitians, small-scale farmers, the use of technology, social media to ensure whistleblowing and monitoring, data collection, food storage, incentivising local farmers, while also ensuring big food corporations are taxed higher on their unhealthy product in order to fund school nutrition.

There were also calls for the government to change its funding of the NSNP programme in a way that allows food handlers to be paid better salaries, afforded food parcels in order to be afforded dignity and respect that they deserve as one of the vulnerable groups in the NSNP system.

Borrowing from the Brazilian model which prioritises food councils and monitoring and evaluation system, and employment of nutritionists, the groups reported that this model could also benefit South Africa and about the much-needed change in South Africa’s youth unemployment and lack of adequate nutrition challenges.

Reflecting on the two-day programme, Nzama Mbalati indicated that the country’s flagship government programme, NSNP which has noble intentions to meet its objectives needed due to high numbers of NCDs, including wasting, stunting, obesity, malnutrition and undernutrition among South African children.

“The reason we called the two-day convention is threefold. It is in light of high rising reports of stunting at 29%, obesity which affected one in eight children. This is actually concerning because food is at the centre of this crisis and unhealthy food is the main driver of this scourge. When we looked at the NSNP programme as a flagship government programme that can assist us to start being intentional about how we can help provide a better food environment for South Africans,” he said.

On the success of the programme, Mbalati remarked: “We were able to bring everyone from academia to government to food handlers, coordinators of NSNP programmes and education communities on the ground and the highlight for me was some of the proposals made in trying to mitigate against the concerning budget cuts. Schools and provinces are already complaining about the budget cuts and there were proposals made in trying to support food handlers in terms of their working conditions.”

Ends.

About HEALA: HEALA is a coalition of civil society organisations advocating for equitable access to affordable, nutritious food in South Africa by building a more just food system.


For media interviews contact: 
Mr Neo Merafi on 071 359 9738 or Neo@maverickbrand.co.za 

HEALA’s two-day Schools Food Environment Assembly to explore ways of strengthening the current National School Nutrition Programme

The South African Constitution clearly states that every child has the right to basic nutrition, shelter, basic health care services, and social services. Yet, South Africa’s public healthcare system is still grappling with a triple burden of malnutrition – undernutrition, overnutrition, and micronutrient deficiencies, a result of our country’s broken food system. 
 
It goes without saying that a healthy and sufficient diet is essential for all – particularly for the adequate growth and development of school-age children. The recent National Food and Nutrition Security Survey found a 13 per cent prevalence of obesity in children under the age of 5, which is double the global average. Undernutrition, in the form of stunting, stood at 27 per cent – with underweight at 6 per cent and wasting at 3 per cent. The above statistics point to a major public health concern and show that learners do not stand a fighting chance against the risk of developing non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, and some cancers, now and in the future.
 
The National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP), a government initiative, is a school feeding scheme that provides daily meals to over 9 million learners in underprivileged primary and secondary schools. “The NSNP was established in 1994 with the aim of fighting malnutrition, reducing hunger and thereby improving school attendance. We, at The Healthy Living Alliance (HEALA), view the NSNP as an important and massive opportunity that can be leveraged to improve the school food environment, strengthen health promotion, and improve the health outcomes of learners. This matter will be foremost on the agenda at the Schools Food Environment Assembly, our upcoming two-day conference which falls on South Africa’s National Health and Nutrition Week this October,” says HEALA CEO Nzama Mbalati. 
 
About Schools Food Environment Assembly


Convened by HEALA and its partners, the Schools Food Environment Assembly aims to develop a joint actionable plan that mobilises society to monitor and improve the school food environment and health outcomes of all learners utilising the existing NSNP. “This convening will bring together diverse views and vibrant voices from civil society, small-scale farmers and local food producers, schools, United Nations agencies, government, and researchers to chart a way forward for collective efforts to improve the NSNP through a variety of interventions,” explains Mbalati. The interventions will include, but will not be limited to:

The legal framework in the implementation of South Africa’s  NSNP;
Opportunities and challenges in the implementation of the NSNP, as well asexploring possibilities of scaling and expanding;
Utilising the NSNP for the promotion of local and sustainable food systems – connecting local and small-scale food producers to consumers​, democratising and decentralising public procurement and expenditure, and strengthening local economies;
Limiting the availability of ultra-processed foods/products and incentivising healthy eating in the school environment; and
Looking at the main drivers of obesity and malnutrition, and related policy interventions in schools.
 
Details
Date: 9 to 10 October 2024
Venue: Anew Hotel OR Tambo, 1 Country Street, Lakefield, Benoni, 1501 (Google Maps)
 
About HEALA: HEALA is a coalition of civil society organisations advocating for equitable access to affordable, nutritious food in South Africa by building a more just food system.
For media interviews contact: 
Mr Neo Merafi on 071 359 9738 or Neo@maverickbrand.co.za 
Ends.

We can’t keep pretending sodas aren’t bad for our health

Media Statement

01 October 2024

For Immediate Release 

On 30 September, the SA Canegrowers Association publicly questioned whether a tax on sodas is intended to be a health tax. Higgins Mdluli, the Chair of SA Canegrowers’ Association, asks: “At what point do we look at the data with common sense and admit the tax is not working?” He asks this after referring to two local studies, (both which are used to support the success of the tax, by the way) because: one study found that the single intervention of the sugar tax did not fix the whole problem of bad diets in South Africa, so people are still gaining weight. The second found that people buy less sodas, and then buy other products with that money instead. A finding one would think speaks to the fact that consumers substitute purchasing: so a job in one industry where fewer products are being bought, will be replaced by a job in another industry, where more products are being purchased.

There is a lot to be said about the evidence about sugar-sweetened beverage taxation. Given that the Health Promotion Levy has only been in effect for six years, and that changes in population diet and health outcomes are usually measured in decades, there is comprehensive evidence to show it is already working. We know that the Levy has led to a reduction in soda purchases (especially in lower socio-economic income groups) and a reduction in sugar added to sodas by companies.  Evidence shows that people are buying less sugary drinks, and when they do those drinks are less sugary.  

We have this evidence, despite successful lobbying from the industry that has led to a Levy almost half of the recommended rate by WHO, and without it being increased for inflation. We know that after decades, sugar-sweetened beverage taxation rates are more supported than ever, and that an increasing body of evidence shows it works.

The sugar industry relies on studies – funded by them – to show that there are job losses in their sector “due to the HPL”. It would be refreshing to see these studies being reported accurately to reflect the whole set of circumstances that lead to forecasted or modelled job losses. Significant sugar dumping in South Africa, droughts, the impact of the Durban riots and the corporate fraud of Tongaat Hulett (leading to 5000 retrenchments) are all cited as underlying reasons by their own studies. The actual job portion of job losses attributed to the HPL are disputed. 

For far too long industry has been allowed to aggressively fight health promotion interventions across the globe by making deceptive economic threats, supporting junk science that minimizes the health impacts of their products and other strategies to block and undermine SB tax- advocacy efforts by influencing governments, the public and the media. South Africa is hanging on the edge of a non-communicable disease cliff.  We know that the overconsumption of sweetened beverages is bad for our health. It is common sense for government to take steps to reduce consumption. We can no longer allow industry to bully, coerce and misinform decision makers for the benefit of their bottom line.

“ENDS”

For media interviews contact 

Zukiswa Zimela Communications Manager

0745210652 | zukiswa[@]heala.com