Food Policy Archives

Food justice is a Women’s Rights issue

Posted on August 22, 2024August 22, 2024 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: Our children’s health is not for sale

Posted on July 26, 2024August 6, 2024 by Zukiswa Zimela

I don’t have kids, but as an aunt, I know what it’s like to have to resist the pressure from the little ones at the stores. It seems they have just what it takes to tug at my heartstrings, so I give in to their requests for unhealthy snacks with bright cartoon characters. Most parents and full-time care-givers know how hard it is to resist the pleas for sweets, sugary cereal, and treats with their children’s favourite characters.

We know that children are the future. Unfortunately, food companies see children as future consumers. Big food companies are increasingly using Child Directed Marketing (CDM) to increase sales. CDM is targeted at children to influence them to want unhealthy food. Getting children hooked on unhealthy foods creates in them lifelong loyal fans.

Industry players know the power children have in decision-making for household spend. A 2021 Paramount Insights report showed that South African children are media savvy. Seventy percent of parents said their children have an impact on household purchasing decisions. “The main categories that kids influence are entertainment (97%), food and groceries (94%), restaurant (89%), vacations and day trips (80%, and electronics (75%). Additionally, “65% of kids participate in decisions about the gifts their family buys for others,” the study found.

This means that our children, who are vulnerable and can be tricked by these groups, are the perfect tool to get parents to spend money on unhealthy food.

This article was published on Longevity on the 26th of July 2024. Click HERE to read the full op-ed.

HEALA extends a warm welcome to the newly elected Health and Finance Ministers, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi and Mr Enoch Godongwana.

Posted on July 4, 2024July 4, 2024 by Zukiswa Zimela

In congratulating both Ministers, HEALA also urges them to prioritise the implementation of evidence-based policies that will address the triple burden of hunger, food insecurity, and obesity – and ultimately improve the health of ordinary South Africans.

To date, South Africa faces alarming levels of hunger, food insecurity, and obesity stemming from a broken food system. Globally, ultra-processed foods high in salt, sugar, and fat are more available than ever before, particularly in low and middle-income countries such as South Africa. Diets high in these components significantly increase the risk of people developing non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as obesity, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease.

According to Statistics South Africa, more and more people are dying from NCDs than ever before. Diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease rank among the top ten leading causes of natural deaths in South Africa, based on the latest figures from 2017.

“HEALA particularly wishes for the Health Minister, Dr Motsoaledi, to speed up regulation on food labelling to assist ordinary South Africans in making informed food choices, to initiate coordinated mechanisms and resource mobilisation towards government and civil society as well as support improvement of the school food environment, champion taxation and regulation of unhealthy products such as sugary drinks, tobacco and alcohol,” says HEALA CEO Nzama Mbalati.

HEALA believes the government has ample evidence demonstrating the effectiveness of the Health Promotion Levy (HPL) and Front-of-Pack Warning Labels (FOPL) in addressing many of the health issues plaguing ordinary South Africans.

Previous HPL evidence has shown that public health policies, which increase the price of harmful products, can reduce consumption. However, there is potential to do even more. Government can allocate the funds generated from the levy towards addressing issues of hunger and poverty by increasing the Child Grant and subsidising healthier foods.

HEALA calls on Finance Minister Mr Godongwana to protect the gains made by the levy by increasing it to 20%, and expanding it to include fruit juices. We also urge Health Minister Dr Motsoaledi to fast-track the implementation of easy-to-read warning labels and empower ordinary South Africans to make better food choices.

In South Africa, essential nutritional information is buried at the back of canned products, boxes, and bottles, making it difficult for consumers to read or decipher the food labels. Implementing front-of-package labelling can translate necessary nutritional information into simple language and prominently display it on the front of food products.

The FOPL regulation will also protect children from predatory marketing practices employed by food manufacturers who use fancy marketing strategies to seduce vulnerable children into being addicted to unhealthy food.

The South African health system is buckling under the weight of NCDs. Two years ago, researchers found that “overweight and obesity cost South Africa’s health system R33 billion (US$1.9bn) a year. This represents 15.38% of government health expenditure and is equivalent to 0.67% of GDP. Annual per person cost of overweight and obesity was R2 769”. The cost of inaction in addressing this issue for both the state and the individual is too high.

HEALA remains committed to holding government leaders accountable for their responsibility in ensuring that the food environment benefits ordinary people rather than industry profits.

We are calling on the newly elected ministers to put food justice on the political agenda and create a healthier, more equitable future for all South Africans.

“HEALA is confident in Dr Motsoaledi’s expertise, enthusiasm and the political will he demonstrated in his previous tenure as Health Minister, during which he prioritised pivotal public health policies and initiatives aimed at improving the health of all South Africans,” concludes Mbalati.

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 | HEALA Communications Manager

zukiswa[@]heala.org

World Hunger Day — a chance for South Africa to vote for food justice

Posted on May 28, 2024June 7, 2024 by Zukiswa Zimela

South Africa faces a nutritional crisis of a double burden of under and overnutrition. Over half a million South African households that have children under five years old face hunger every day. This has led to a quarter of our children being stunted (an indicator of chronic malnutrition).

Stunting does not only disadvantage the individual into adulthood but also ultimately affects national development due to its health and economic consequences. Children who are stunted at two years old are likely to be stunted as adults. They are also at high risk of developing chronic diseases and obesity in adulthood (let’s not forget that 1 in 8 South African children under five years are already overweight or obese).

As these kids’ brains have not developed properly, a magnitude of intellectual issues persist such as reduced cognitive ability, fewer schooling years achieved, poor attainment of job opportunities, and lower wages later in life. This proposes many economic consequences for individuals, households, and our country, including higher healthcare costs.

Read the rest of the article in Daily Maverick.

Chew On This Episode 1: How is Big Food violating our right to nutritious food?

Posted on May 9, 2024June 4, 2024 by Zukiswa Zimela

South Africa suffers from high levels of hunger, food insecurity, and obesity — all of which are consequences of the country’s broken food system. It is only by fixing South Africa’s broken food system will the country be able to guarantee everyone equitable access to affordable, nutritious food. This webinar explores the role Big Food plays in our ability to access nutritious food and how evidence based policies can address these issues.

WEBINAR: My Health, My Right: The Importance of regulating the food environment to eliminate over and under nutrition

Posted on April 17, 2024June 4, 2024 by Zukiswa Zimela

HEALA cordially invites you to our upcoming webinar scheduled for April 24 at 15.30 SAST. The webinar titled “My Health, My Right: The Importance of regulating the food environment to eliminate over and under nutrition” is aimed at highlighting the grim reality of the food environment in South Africa. Currently, the country is battling a double burden of over and under-nutrition.

Experts warn that Ultra-Processed Food consumption may be associated with a higher risk of obesity, overweight, and stunting in low and middle-income countries. New research by Dr. Tamryn Frank shows that low-income South African adults consume, on average, 40% of their calories from ultra-processed products. We live in a society where eight million children go hungry every day. Dr. Edzani Mphaphuli will discuss the dangers of stunting and malnutrition for the wellbeing of children throughout their lives.

HEALA’s Programmes Manager, Petronell Kruger, will speak about the need for evidence-based regulations to fix South Africa’s broken food system and guarantee everyone equitable access to affordable, nutritious food.

RSVP HERE

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

Posted on April 5, 2024June 4, 2024 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.

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

Posted on March 20, 2024June 4, 2024 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

This World Obesity Day we urgently need to confront the scourge of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in South Africa.

Posted on March 4, 2024June 4, 2024 by Zukiswa Zimela

Deaths from non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are surging worldwide. In South Africa, deaths from NCDs increased by almost 60 percent from 1997 to 2018. Urgent action is needed. We know that we can’t solve the problem of NCDs with isolated, small and convenient interventions in individual lifestyles. The Healthy Living Alliance (HEALA) is calling for a package of bold interventions with a systemic overview of the issue of obesity.

Research shows that an estimated 1 in 8 South African children are overweight which is double the global average. Experts warn that children experiencing overweight and obesity in early childhood run the risk of experiencing obesity as adults. Obesity is associated with other dangerous diseases such as diabetes and heart disease.

One of the most urgent interventions needed to curtail the explosion of NCDs in South Africa is the regulation of the food environment. The government needs to strongly regulate the food environment in favour of consumers to curb the consumption of unhealthy food, which is often heavily marketed to South Africa’s poor.

HEALA is asking the government to urgently increase the Health Promotion Levy (HPL) on select sugar-sweetened beverages to 20 percent and include fruit juices in the HPL. Currently, the levy remains at a paltry 11% and has not seen a significant increase since it was introduced in 2018.

Secondly, the National Department of Health needs to speed up the adoption of effective front-of-package warning labels on unhealthy foods to help consumers make better choices and live healthier lives. Several studies have shown that people globally and in South Africa have trouble reading traditional nutritional labels.

“The food industry spends billions of rands every year to reach children with their product marketing. They also aggressively lobby against public health policies aimed at promoting good health. We know the food industry would not spend billions of Rands fighting public health interventions that are not effective,” says Acting Interim CEO Nzama Mbalati.

What we eat is one of the biggest contributors to obesity. According to this study, our modern diets of calorie-dense foods, sugar-sweetened beverages, and high-fat and high-carb foods have been linked to obesity.

“It is unfortunate that government perpetuates the notion that public health interventions should first and foremost have economic benefits. We believe that the people’s well-being and dignity should be enough of a reason to push forward with solid regulations,” Mbalati says.

Sporadic interventions on this issue will do nothing to bring us back from the brink of the NCD cliff, what we need are sustained, evidence-based actions that look at the entire food system and address all the systematic causes of obesity in the country.

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 please contact

Zukiswa Zimela Communications Manager HEALA

0745210652 | zukiswa@heala.org

HEALA is deeply disappointed with Finance Minister Enoch Gondwana’s failure to announce an increase of the Health Promotion Levy.

Posted on February 23, 2024June 4, 2024 by Zukiswa Zimela

For years National Treasury has failed to increase the Health Promotion Levy (HPL), which not only contributes to the fiscus but also reduces the consumption of sugary drinks. This levy is a vital tool in South Africa’s fight against life threatening non communicable diseases.

Ordinary South Africans bear the burden of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer. Researchers have alerted us of the dangers of a high NCD burden. One study warns that “the implications for the current situation are widespread: a future population with deteriorated physical and mental health, presenting with co-morbidities that render these individuals more susceptible to infectious diseases”.

Treasury’s continued failure to act to protect ordinary South African’s against industry interest shows it’s lack of commitment to stopping and reversing the tsunami of non-communicable diseases in South Africa. The Finance minister has once again failed South Africans by refusing to increase the HPL to 20% or at least announce the implementation of annual inflation-related increases of this lifesaving intervention that has been shown to work.

HEALA believes that the government is doing a disservice to any efforts to curtail the avalanche of NCD’s in the country by allowing the sugar industry to use the HPL as a scapegoat for its ongoing failure. We will continue to hold treasury accountable in implementing pro-people policies that put people’s health at the forefront.