Our children are growing up in an increasingly unhealthy food environment. Experts warn that the increased marketing of unhealthy food and beverages to children is leading to an increasingly obesogenic food landscape. This year’s theme, “Healthy beginnings, hopeful futures,” highlights the need for the government to prioritise the health and well-being of our country’s most valuable asset: our children.
South Africa is facing a double burden of overnutrition and undernutrition. A staggering 27 percent of children in South Africa suffer from stunting.
According to experts, “Chronic child malnutrition is one of the leading causes of stunting in children, which can be irreversible. Stunting can have short- and long-term consequences, including developmental delays, poor cognitive function, and an increased risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease.”
Conversely, an estimated 1 in 8 children under the age of 5 are overweight. This is due in part to the overconsumption of high-calorie diets rich in salt, sugar, and fats, leading to a childhood obesity crisis.
As it stands, South Africa does not have any laws that curtail the marketing of unhealthy food to children.
What can we do?
We are calling for the National Department of Health( NdoH) to fast-track the implementation of the R3337 regulations. Not only will these regulations make it easier for parents and caregivers to make informed decisions about the food they provide to their children, but they will also restrict the advertising of foods high in salt, sugar, and fats to children.
HEALA is also calling for the Department of Basic Education (DBE) to intensify its efforts to enhance the school nutrition program, instead of further socialising young children into the consumption of health-devastating foods. These foods jeopardize the physical, mental, and emotional performance of children, and thereby their futures.
A healthy nation is a prosperous nation, and our children deserve to be protected from predatory organisations seeking to target them for profit at the expense of their future health and well-being.
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.
The Healthy Living Alliance (HEALA) is deeply disappointed with Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana’s decision to capitulate to industry’s demands.
The decision to hike the value-added tax (VAT) instead of increasing the Health Promotion Levy (HPL) flies in the face of scientific evidence, which shows that the increase of the HPL is vital lifesaving intervention and an easy way to boost the fiscus. Godongwana has shown complete contempt for ordinary people living in South Africa.
The proposed increase in VAT is a regressive measure. Indeed, leading voices on tax justice have indicated how its increase will bring thousands, if not close to millions, in our country closer to poverty and economic disaster.
We have lost an opportunity to save the lives of thousands of South Africans. We have lost the opportunity to protect the most vulnerable amongst us, the poor. Since its inception in 2018, the levy has contributed R10bn to the fiscus and has the potential to do more. This is money which could be spent on various health promotion interventions.
Treasury itself identified the levy as a tool reduce obesity and non-communicable diseases, an out-of-control epidemic in South Africa costing the state billions of Rands in health care and affecting low-income members of our society the most.
This missed opportunity will cost millions of South Africans their lives, their welfare and their finances. It is the responsibility of the government to protect the lives and overall wellbeing of the people it serves, not coddling an industry which has been taking advantage of the government’s good will.
The decision to implement a further moratorium after the Finance Minister’s decision in 2023 to place a two-year moratorium on an increase of the HPL points to the government’s leniency to the sugar industry and its continued decision to pander to minority interests. It is very clear that the sugar industry is being treated with kid gloves. This is despite evidence of mismanagement and graft which has caused more damage to the industry than the HPL ever could. We demand Treasury to reevaluate its decision and follow the science.
“It is deeply disappointing that the minister missed an opportunity to increase HPL to 20% to boost the fiscus and instead chose the option to rather increase VAT, which will hit hard in the pockets of the poorest of the poor, who are the most affected by non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and will put a strain on the health system. We all are experiencing non-communicable diseases in one way or the other. Either oneself, relative, family member, friend, colleague are who is living or have lost their lives due to diabetes, heart diseases or cancer. It has become clear to the Minister of Finance that the lives and livelihoods of South Africans are less important than the profits of the sugar industry. It is obvious that the sugar industry, like it’s counterparts in the alcohol and tobacco industry, will continue to disregard the effects their products have on South Africans”, says Nzama Mbalati, HEALA CEO.
South Africans are dying and will continue to do so unless urgent intervention takes place. HEALA will continue to fight for the realisation of Food Justice For ALL!
As civil society organisations committed to food justice, children’s health and education rights, we are alarmed by the recent handover of McDonald’s-branded ‘Mi Desk’ desks to two Cape Town schools, facilitated by the Minister of Basic Education, Siviwe Gwarube. This follows similar corporate-branded desk donations from Old Mutual and Hollywood Bets. We are concerned about this disturbing trend, which must end now.
The McDonald’s donation of desks to schools should not be seen as charity. It is junk food marketing targeting vulnerable children. At a time when South Africa faces a compounding crisis of malnutrition, obesity, and a non-communicable disease epidemic, allowing fast food branding into schools is grossly irresponsible and negligent. The Department of Basic Education (DBE) should be safeguarding children’s health, not exposing them to the marketing of high-fat, sugar, and salt (HFSS) foods under the guise of corporate donations. Additionally, McDonald’s is using the bodies of children as unpaid, walking billboards for the junk food market. By slapping its logo on the MiDesk, it ensures that its brand is paraded through communities, at no cost, while profiting from the very eating habits that harm children’s health.
“Minister Gwarube’s decisions cannot be a compromise between private interests and protecting our children from harmful advertising. Her responsibility is to serve the public and the constitution, which means keeping private interests in check and ensuring big businesses don’t profit at the expense of our children,” says Palesa Ramolefo, of Amandla.mobi.
Over the past 20 years, we have seen South African markets flooded by fast and ultra-processed foods. Foods high in sugar, salt and fat, and low in nutrients are helping to fuel the obesity epidemic – with nearly one in every four children under five now either overweight or obese. Sophisticated marketing campaigns tap into children’s deepest desires and longing for love, family, friendship and belonging, while relatively low prices make fast foods even more desirable amidst widespread poverty and deepening inequality. These branded desks are a form of advertising for McDonald’s. They instrumentalise children as consumers of unhealthy food, and contribute to normalising the routine consumption of fast food.
“The DBE should be intensifying its efforts to enhance the school nutrition programme, not helping to further socialise young children into the consumption of health-devastating foods. These foods jeopardise the physical, mental and emotional performance of children, and thereby their futures” says Zukiswa Zimela of Healthy Living Alliance (HEALA).
In its updated guidelines on policies to protect children from the harmful impact of food marketing released in 2023, the World Health Organization notes that children’s rights, including their right to health, their access to safe and nutritious food, and their right to be free from exploitation, are undermined by the marketing of HFSS foods – the category into which McDonalds’ food falls. As such, countries that are party to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, like South Africa, have a legal duty to ensure that these rights are protected and fulfilled and that business respects them.
It cannot be said that our government is adequately performing this duty if the DBE actively supports the direct marketing of McDonald’s food to children. This incident demonstrates that the South African government urgently needs to finalise regulations and develop legislation to restrict the marketing of unhealthy food in general, and to children in particular, aswas done by other countries globally including Canada (Quebec), Norway, Iran, United Kingdom, Chile, Mexico, Ireland, Argentina, Portugal, South Korea, Taiwan, Brazil, Spain, and Sweden.
Why are corporations donating school furniture? McDonald’s branded desk donation illustrates the dangers of austerity and the consequent cuts to the education budget – it incentivises corporate actors to encroach into spaces abandoned by the state. It is no coincidence that the ‘beneficiaries’ of these desks are black children in rural and working-class communities. Gaps opened up by deliberate disinvestment are then given a band-aid by corporate ‘philanthropy’. But this is not generosity – it is branding, which also further promotes unhealthy behaviours in children, like gambling in thecase of Hollywood Bets-branded desks. Such corporate actors are turning classrooms into advertising spaces and the children who carry the desks when folded into bulky bags into walking advertisements while distracting from the structural failures of the government to fulfil its constitutional duties.
This is the flipside of austerity in public education. Corporate charity is not a substitute for government responsibility. The only sustainable solution is for the National Treasury to properly fund education, and ensure that every child has access to dignified learning conditions without strings attached.
We call for immediate action:
The Minister and Department of Basic Education must immediately withdraw support for the branded MiDesk donation, recall the branded desks, ensure that the provincial education department supplies desks to the school as per its mandate, and desist from any such partnerships with Big Food and the gambling industry in the future;
The Minister must issue a public explanation of the contents and mechanics of these branded partnerships in terms of the concerns we have raised, and actively engage with us as concerned civil society organisations on this matter;
The South African government should urgently finalise the draft regulations R3337 on the Labelling and Advertising of Foodstuffs, and the Audio and Audio Visual Content Services White Paper both of which include provisions to protect children from the marketing of foods that are harmful to health. In addition, Regulation R3337 needs to be strengthened to prohibit the marketing of fast and ultra-processed foods in child-centred settings such as schools and early learning programmes;
The government must strengthen regulations around corporate social investments to ensure that they areethical, transparent, and not transactional. Ethical corporate support should strengthen and be subordinate to, not substitute, the state’s obligations to learners.
DBE should desist from selling children a sick future. Schools should be safe spaces that protect children from the marketing of products that are harmful to their health, not open markets for corporate exploitation and expansion.
Erratum: Clarification on Hollywood Foundation Branded Desk Donation
In the original version of this joint civil society statement, we attributed some of the branded desks mentioned to Hollywood Bets. We acknowledge that the donation was made by the Hollywood Foundation, which is linked to and funded by Hollywood Bets. While we have corrected this attribution, we maintain that the distinction is immaterial.
The Hollywood Foundation and Hollywood Bets share near-identical branding, making the desks effectively a promotional tool for a gambling-linked entity. Whether through direct or indirect means, branding associated with gambling remains inappropriate for school resources. Schools should be safe learning environments, free from corporate influence that normalises industries with known social harms.
Our call for the Department of Basic Education to reject corporate branding in schools remains unchanged. We urge immediate action to prevent further commercial exploitation of children in educational spaces.
HEALA adamant that a 20% sugary drinks tax increase will curtail the prevalence of non-communicable diseases in South Africa
Prior to becoming a professional and passionate caregiver, Lexi Mufukari was in her mid-twenties when she first had to take care of a loved one battling non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Her grandmother, now late, had been managing her hypertension well for decades, until a diabetes diagnosis negatively impacted her health. “Prior to her diabetes diagnosis, my grandmother had been fit, active, energetic and taking her blood pressure medication religiously,” shares Mufukari. Her family, already cash-strapped, hired a full-time caregiver to assist with taking care of Mufukari’s grandmother. “We could not afford a wheelchair so she had to be carried everywhere around the house by one or three family members,” she adds. This firsthand experience of how NCDs can change the family’s trajectory – impacting finances, mental health and relations has led Lexi to believe that the prevention of any NCDs is better than cure.
South Africa currently faces a dire health crisis. NCDs related deaths such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and chronic lower respiratory diseases rose by a staggering 58.7 percent over the past two decades, according to Statistics South Africa. Diabetes now ranks as the second leading cause of death in South Africa after tuberculosis, with a concerning 25 000 deaths attributed to the disease in 2022. Diabetes affects 12 percent of the adult population in South Africa, wreaking havoc to the family’s livelihood and the individual’s health, work place productivity, – as well as the national fiscus. Diabetes, on diagnosed patients alone, costs South Africa’s health system a whopping R2.7 billion. With undiagnosed patients factored in, the amount would shoot up to R 21.8 billion.
And this is where increasing the sugar tax from 10 to 20 percent would help. The Healthy Living Alliance (HEALA) still maintains that the South African government has an opportunity to curb the prevalence of NCDs in South Africa, including diabetes, obesity, and related health issues.
In 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) once again called on governments worldwide to increase taxes on sugary drinks and alcohol to radically decrease the number of people dying from unhealthy diets – adding that unhealthy diets were responsible for approximately 8 million deaths, worldwide, every year. Furthermore, WHO explained that higher taxes would help reduce the consumption of unhealthy products, and therefore incentivise companies to produce healthier products – which would hopefully lead to healthier populations across the board.
Says HEALA CEO Nzama Mbalati: “We all are experiencing non-communicable diseases in one way or the other. Either oneself, relative, family member, friend, colleague are who is living or have lost their lives due to diabetes, heart diseases or cancer”.
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: Zukiswa Zimela Communications Manager HEALA
This World Diabetes Day, celebrated annually on 14 November, Healthy Living Alliance (HEALA) wishes to draw attention to diabetes care, as well as urge the government to continue reinforcing those policies that contribute towards lessening the plight of those living with this non-communicable disease.
Diabetes affects 12% of the adult population in South Africa, and is the second leading cause of death after tuberculosis. Left untreated or detected late diabetes can wreak havoc on individuals’ health and livelihoods, as well as the national fiscus. Diabetes, for diagnosed patients alone, costs South Africa’s health system about R2.7 billion. Severe complications associated with diabetes range from loss of sight, strokes, and amputation of legs to heart conditions, nerve damage, and kidney problems – to name a few.
One of those affected by this life-changing disease is Alinah. In 2010, Alinah was diagnosed with diabetes. Following the diagnosis, the sixty-four-year-olds life changed forever when her leg was amputated. Alinah attributes her condition to a poor diet and the over-consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages.
HEALA fully supports the 2024 World Diabetes Day theme: ‘Diabetes and Well-being’, and further casts a spotlight on the Health Promotion Levy (HPL) being a pivotal first step in ensuring that store and supermarket shelves lessen the temptation of sugar-sweetened beverages for consumers.
“It is no coincidence that we are seeing the growing epidemic of diabetes in South Africa. In townships, villages and some urban areas, supermarkets are saturated with vigorously marketed, cheap sugary drinks – the likes of energy drinks, fruit juices, and fizzy drinks. In some areas, particularly where there is limited access to clean running water, people opt to quench their thirst with sugary drinks because some can be as cheap as below R10. Therefore, it is important that we enable consumers to move to healthier alternatives instead of resorting to sugary drinks as an easily-accessible option,” notes HEALA CEO Nzama Mbalati.
The South African government introduced the HPL in 2018 to curb the consumption of sugary drinks – which are widely known to be associated with ill health. “On the one hand, consumers are exempted from HPL when they do not purchase sugary drinks. On the other hand, it is an opportunity for manufacturers to reduce the sugar content in their products, which then exempts them from paying the levy,” explains Mbalati, adding that HPL is a proven success, per research studies conducted in the townships of Langa and Soweto. “The studies found a two third reduction in the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages, particularly among the youth and adults, since the inception of HPL six years ago.”
If the HPL is increased and expanded, the number of people like Babalo, who says his love of sugar-sweetened beverages is one of the things that led to his amputation could be reduced. The 50-year-old has diabetes and high blood pressure. These illnesses could be caused by drinking too many sugary drinks. He says he supports raising the tax.
“I appreciate the government’s efforts to make fizzy drinks more expensive because they are trying to save people from diabetes,” he says.
HEALA is calling on the government to protect the HPL and increase this life-changing intervention to 20% and expand the levy to include 100% fruit juices to the lives of ordinary South Africans.
The evidence is undeniable: the Health Promotion Levy, enacted in 2018 to combat South Africa’s soaring rates of diet-related diseases, delivered on its promise. Multiple studies have demonstrated that the tax has successfully reduced both sugary drink consumption and overall sugar intake.
Around the world, governments and international organisations have recognised that taxing sugary drinks is a simple, cost-effective way to promote public health. From the UK to the US to Mexico, these taxes have reduced sugary drink consumption without hurting the economy. In five US cities that implemented sugary drink taxes, sales of these drinks dropped and the trend continued over time.
This op-ed was first published in the Daily Maverick on the 1st of November 2024. To read the entire article please click here.
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.
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 Russo, Dr 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 Knipe, Ms 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 Grimeek, Dasantha 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
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 Weekthis 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.
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.
