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Category: Food Insecurity

This heritage month HEALA is shining the spotlight on food sovereignty

Posted on by Zukiswa Zimela

Food is a fundamental part of our cultural identities. By allowing big food to homogenise our plates we run the risk of finding ourselves losing  the rich tapestry of our collective identities. This heritage month, HEALA is highlighting the importance of reclaiming our food sovereignty.

This however, this is near impossible given the proliferation of cheap, addictive ultra-processed food. HEALA is calling on government to use funds from unhealthy food taxes to subsidise healthier alternatives.  Since its inception in 2018 the Health Promotion Levy has raised billions  for the fiscus. The money can be used to implement health promotion measures such as subsidising healthy food and making it accessible to ordinary South Africans. It is widely excepted that our diets have changed significantly in the last few years.

These changes have led to a an alarming trend of increased deaths due to non-communicable diseases. More than six out of 10 women in South Africa are overweight or obese, a major risk factor for non-communicable diseases. Overall, the World Health Organisation estimates that almost one in three South Africans were obese in 2016. About 13% of children in South Africa are also overweight – more than twice the global average.

According to researchers “economic development has displaced traditional dietary patterns and driven a shift in food preferences, resulting in the nutrition transition”. This change in the food environment is synonymous with a proliferation of packaged foods high in sugar, salt and saturated fat, otherwise known as ultra-processed foods and undermines dietary patterns based on minimally and unprocessed food and processed culinary ingredients. 

READ MORE: An increase in the Health Promotion Levy will not only reduce the consumption of unhealthy sugary drinks, but it can also be used to improve the health of the country’s children.

Since the dawn of democracy, experts note that our diets have shifted towards an increase in sugar-sweetened beverages, processed and packaged foods, sweet and savoury snacks, and increased meat consumption. We have moved away from consuming vegetables. These shifts in food consumption are concerning as it leads to more fat, sugar and salt intake and negative impacts on public health.

“We know that half of South Africans are dying from non-communicable disease at the moment, and that Statistics South Africa has already said this is our next looming health crisis,” says Dr Petronell Kruger, Programmes’ Manager at Healthy Living Alliance. This begs the question, why can we take diseases like Covid-19 seriously to the extent of lockdowns, but we don’t see serious government intervention to protect our lives and our cultural heritage.”

“Ends”

Food justice is a Women’s Rights issue

Posted on by Zukiswa Zimela

Thirty-year-old Siyakholwa Mkoka from Khayelitsha, a township in the Western Cape, lives in a seven-person household. Each month, the family has just R3000 to feed all seven mouths.

According to the July Household Affordability Index released by Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice and Dignity “[y]ear-on-year: The cost of a basic nutritional food basket for a family of 7 members increased by R240,47 (3,9%) from R6 165,69 in July 2023 to R6 406,16 in July 2024.”

Mkoka’s family has less than half of what is needed to achieve a basic nutrition.

South Africa suffers from the triple burden of malnutrition, obesity, undernutrition (Stunting, low birth weight) and micronutrient deficiency. This overly affects women and the children they care for. 

“Most of the time we buy unhealthy food. It is rare that we buy healthy food. We buy coke every day. I am worried that the food we are eating will make us sick,” Mkoka says.

Almost 70% of all women in South Africa are overweight and obese, putting them at an increased risk of non-communicable diseases and death while malnutrition is the underlying cause of death in a third of child deaths in South Africa.

Mkoka is already concerned about her weight. “I was told that my weight was not good. I did try to cut down on food, however it is very difficult,” she says. 

“The challenge that we face is that the food (we buy) is very addictive,” she explains.

Experts are raising the alarm on the dietary intake of low-income adults in South Africa. According to one study, adults from low income households on average get 40% of their daily calories from ultra-processed food.  

Ultra-processed foods are often cheap, high in salt, saturated fat and sugar and are engineered to taste good. The overconsumption of these foods is linked to increased rates of obesity. 

The Cancer Association of South Africa (CANSA) warns that the, “common health effects of overweight and obesity raised BMI is a major risk factor for number of cancers such as breast  cancer (postmenopausal women), cancer of the colon, cancer of the rectum , cancer of the uterus, cervical cancer and endometrial cancer.

Making good food choices in an environment dominated by ultra-processed food is challenging for many due to low nutrition levels. Interventions like front-of-pack warning labels (FOPWL) can make it easier for everyone to readily identify foods high in salt, sugar and saturated fat and make better food choices.

For decades, the food and beverage industry has fed the public the myth that what we eat is our choice alone. This has created stigmatising and shaming narratives that lay the blame for non-communicable diseases such as obesity and diabetes squarely at consumers’ feet — ignoring the larger food system.

The FOPWL will also make it harder for corporations to market to vulnerable children by restricting the use of cartoons and  collectable toys to lure children to consume unhealthy foods. 

Mkoka explains that even on a tight budget, she often capitulates to her daughter’s pleas for an unhealthy snack. When they go shopping together, her four year old daughter begs her for a Kinder Joy egg because she wants the toy inside the snack. This puts further strain on an already tight budget and makes shopping more difficult.

This Women’s Month, HEALA is urging the government to adopt these vital regulations to support the improvement of health and wellbeing of all, particularly women and children. 

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:

Zukiswa Zimela | Communications Manager HEALA

zukiswa [at] heala.org 

OP-ED: Government must take steps to end hunger in SA

Posted on by Zukiswa Zimela

Last month we commemorated 25 years of the SA constitution – a document that was supposed to usher in a generation of South Africans living in dignity, equality and freedom.

However, we see a dangerous dualism in SA: while eight million children go hungry every day and a quarter of all children are stunted, we also see that one in eight children is overweight.

According to statistics, these children will grow into a cohort of adults where every second person is obese. Being overweight or obese is a well-known driver of diseases like cancer, heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure.

More than half of South Africans are dying of these diseases each year, which Stats SA has termed a “looming health crisis”. At first glance, the idea of a society where half of the population is overweight, while severe hunger persists seems dystopian, akin to the Hunger Games, where the rich gorge themselves and the poor fight to survive.

READ MORE: This World Obesity Day We Urgently Need To Confront The Scourge Of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) In South Africa.

But the reality is that in individual households, both co-exist. Low income households are more likely to purchase energy dense, nutritionally poor food, which contributes to weight gain.

Strong evidence has emerged that food companies that sell low nutrition products target poorer families through marketing and retail outlet placement – the “double burden of malnutrition”.

Human rights are the idea that human beings are entitled to certain protections. After World War 2, the first modern international instrument setting out these rights was created – the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

This article was published on SowetanLive on the 4th of April 2024. Click HERE to read the full oped.

Press Statement: How we need to think about the right to food this Human Rights Day

Posted on by Zukiswa Zimela

Following 30 years of democracy, South Africans are facing a devastating crisis of under and over nutrition with staggering levels of non-communicable diseases. The health of the nation is tied to the ability of ordinary South Africans to realise their right to a healthy life. The Constitution recognizes the right to health and food, and incorporates principles from international treaties which places a duty on states to prevent non-communicable diseases.

A recent study found that South Africans are consuming an excessive amount of ultra-processed food, which is tied to poor health outcomes such as obesity, diabetes, and hypertension. The study shows troubling trends for low-income South Africans: unhealthy ultra-processed foods are a big part of their diets (40%) and younger populations are increasingly shifting towards more unhealthy food that are high in sugar, salt, and saturated fat.

The Healthy Living Alliance (HEALA) believes that South Africans have a right to know what’s in their food, and mandatory ront of package warning labels (FOPWL)  are one way to provide information on which products are high in nutrients of concern. Implementing FOPWL as soon as possible can help to reduce the portion of South Africans’ diets, which is ultra-processed.

“We need policies to help South Africans eat less unhealthy food. Interventions like the proposed front-of-pack warning label, which will give consumers information if the food they are eating contains too many ‘bad’ ingredients, are cost-effective and empowering ways to change eating habits. Taxes on products like sodas are a double win – more public funds and less sugar in our already diabetic-prone society,” says HEALA Programmes Manager Petronell Kruger.

HEALA has been calling for access to good nutrition. Policies are needed to guarantee fair access, availability, and affordability of healthy foods, such as fruits and vegetables, particularly for low-income populations to make sure more South Africans are not suffering from hunger. Revenue raised from the Health Promotion Levy (which target sodas) could be allocated to provide subsidies on healthy foods.

Because government policy forms a crucial part of South Africa’s food system, HEALA believes that hunger, food insecurity, and malnutrition are policy choices and government needs to play its part in protecting ordinary South Africans.

About HEALA: 

HEALA is a coalition of civil society organisations that advocates for equitable access to affordable and nutritious food for all in South Africa.

For interview requests please call 

Zukiswa Zimela, Communications Manager HEALA

Zukiswa[at]heala.org | +2710 825 4403

PMBEJD survey finds over 11% increase food costs compared to 2021

Posted on by Zukiswa Zimela

In the May Household Affordability Index, the Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice & Dignity Group reported the average cost of the Household Food Basket at R4,609.89 –  an increase of more than 11% compared to May 2021.  More than half of the 44 foods in the food basket increased in price, with cooking oil leading the pack. The researchers note that the factors driving price increases, including the Russia/Ukraine conflict, more frequent climatic disasters and the continued strain of COVID-19, are unlikely to lessen in the coming months.

The rising costs of a basic food basket stand in stark contrast to current social protection programmes, and should be viewed alongside increasing, troubling reports on children dying of malnutrition.

As PMBEJD notes, “Year-on-year, the cost to feed a child a basic nutritious diet has increased by R59,56 or 8%.  The Child Support Grant has been increased by R20, from R460 to R480 per child. This is an increase of 4,3%. In May 2022, the Child Support Grant of R480 is 23% below the Food Poverty Line of R624, and 40% below the average cost to feed a child a basic nutritious diet of R803,46. Annual increments do not close the gap between the actual cost of feeding a child a basic nutritious diet per month (on our data R480 vs R800), nor do the increments keep up with the actual inflationary increase on food. The reality is, that on R480, a mother has no chance to feed her child properly. The state has enough money to draw on so that all children can eat. No child needs to go hungry. No child needs to be malnourished. No child needs to be stunted. No child needs to die.”

For information and media enquiries contact:

Mervyn Abrahams: 079 398 9384 /mervyn@pmbejd.org.za

Julie Smith: 072 324 5043/ julie@pmbejd.org.za

https://pmbejd.org.za

https://www.facebook.com/pmbejd

Key data from the February 2022 Household Affordability Index

Posted on by Zukiswa Zimela

The February 2022 Household Affordability Index, which tracks food price data from 44 supermarkets and 30 butcheries, in Johannesburg (Soweto, Alexandra, Tembisa and Hillbrow), Durban (KwaMashu, Umlazi, Isipingo, Durban CBD and Mtubatuba), Cape Town (Khayelitsha, Gugulethu, Philippi, Langa, Delft and Dunoon), Pietermaritzburg and Springbok (in the Northern Cape), shows that:

  • In February 2022: The average cost of the Household Food Basket is R4 355,70.
  • Month-on-month: The average cost of the Household Food Basket decreased by R45,33 (-1%), from R4 401,02 in January 2022 to R4 355,70 in February 2022.
  • Year-on-year: The average cost of the Household Food Basket increased by R354,52 (8.9%), from R4 001,17 in February 2021 to R4 355,70 in February 2022.

Food prices dropped marginally in all areas tracked. Most foods in the basket came down in February 2022 – and across most staples, meats, and vegetables, with the exception of oils and fats: cooking oil, margarine and cremora.

Statistics South Africa’s latest Consumer Price Index for January 2022 shows that Headline inflation was 5,7%, and for the lowest expenditure quintiles 1-3, it is 6,7%, 6,1% and 5,6% respectively. CPI Food inflation was 6,2%.

Workers

The National Minimum Wage for a General Worker in February 2022 is R3 470,40. Transport to work and back will cost a worker an average of R1 280 (36,9% of NMW), and electricity an average of R731,50 (21,1% of NMW). Together transport and electricity, both non-negotiable expenses, take up 58% (R2 011,50) of the NMW, leaving R1 458,90 to secure all other household expenses. Workers families will underspend on food by a minimum of 51,8%, this month, based on PMBEJDs basic nutritional food basket which stands at R3 029,23 for a family of four persons.

Productivity in the workplace and learning quality in classrooms, and whether we have to visit a health centre or not, are all dependent on the food we eat.

Women and children

In February 2022, the average cost to feed a child a basic nutritious diet was R771,95. Year-on-year, the cost to feed a child a basic nutritious diet has increased by R61,20 or 8,6%.

In February 2022, the Child Support Grant of R460 is 26% below the Food Poverty Line of R624, and 40% below the average cost to feed a child a basic nutritious diet of R771,95.

In its annual adjustments, Government chose to increase the Child Support Grant by R20 from April 2022. This is an increase of 4,3%.

The R20 increase will move the Child Support Grant of R480 from 26% below the Food Poverty Line of R624, to 23% below the Food Poverty Line.

by  the PMBJED group