Escalating food prices hit consumers hard
That's according to the May Household Affordability Index.
It highlights the growing gap between our income and the cost of living, and it's only making the economic picture even bleaker.
Mervyn Abrahams from the Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice and Dignity Group says a basket of food with basic essential stuff ads to R5466, which is a 1% increase from a month ago.
He says most increases are witnessed in staple foods like potatoes, onions, spinach and chicken.
Abrahams has attributed these increases to season changes, fuel prices and retail sector increases.
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IOL News
5 days ago
- IOL News
South Africa's food price inflation hits 16-month high, driven by meat and vegetable costs
Agricultural Business Chamber of South Africa (Agbiz) said that South Africa's consumer food price inflation rose to the highest level in 16 months, at 4.7%, in June 2025, from 4.4% in May. Image: Independent Newspapers Agricultural Business Chamber of South Africa (Agbiz) said that South Africa's consumer food price inflation rose to the highest level in 16 months, at 4.7%, in June 2025, from 4.4% in May. Agbiz attributed the recent increases in the price of meat, oils and fats, and vegetables. Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice and Dignity Group (PMBEJD) and Black Sash have echoed similar sentiments. Wandile Sihlobo, Agbiz chief economist, said that the increase does not alter their assessment of moderate food price inflation in 2025. 'The increase in the meat price inflation was caused by two significant factors, which have somewhat eased. First, the outbreak of avian flu in Brazil led to South Africa temporarily restricting imports of poultry products from the country, and this caused panic in the market.' Sihlobo added that South Africa imports roughly 20% of its annual poultry needs and Brazil is one of the key suppliers. 'However, the restrictions have now been lifted and imports are expected to recover in the coming months. The restrictions were necessary to ascertain the scale of avian flu in Brazil and ensure that it was eradicated before imports could resume. South Africa has received confirmation that Brazil has successfully eradicated the disease and lifted the ban on imports.' Sihlobo said that South Africa experienced an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease, which led to concerns about red meat supplies and some panic buying, temporarily pushing up prices. 'This was particularly true after the country's largest feedlot reported an outbreak. This was followed by a vaccination campaign to limit the spread of the disease. Slaughtering has now resumed in the major feedlots, and we are seeing some easing in red meat prices, which should be reflected in the inflation figures of the coming months. This was followed by a vaccination campaign to limit the spread of the disease.' Sihlobo added that this does not mean the foot-and-mouth disease is over in South Africa — far from it. 'The livestock industry remains in a challenging condition, with increasing costs affecting cattle farmers and feedlots.' Sihlobo said that regarding the oils and fats, the local market somewhat mirrors the trades we see globally, and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation's Vegetable Oil Price Index has remained elevated in recent times because of strong global demand for palm oil. Mervyn Abrahams, director of PMBEJD, said any increase in food under the current economic climate has a negative effect on the purchasing power for consumers, and more so on low-income earners. 'As we have indicated through the Household Affordability Index throughout the past, that food prices continue to rise, it is very concerning that the current food inflation is at a 16-month high.' Abrahams said that items such as meats, fish, oils, and vegetables are essential as opposed to being luxuries; however, food inflation over the past months has meant that for many families, they become luxuries. 'This, of course, is a major concern for the PMBEJD because, simply put, it means there are children mainly that are deprived of essential body-building nutrients at a crucial stage in their lives, and this often results in stunting.' Abrahams added that while they hope for the situation to improve, if the current pattern is anything to go by, we fear that there is a likelihood of a further increase this year, which will have a negative effect on consumers that are already under pressure. Evashnee Naidu, regional manager for Black Sash in KwaZulu-Natal, said that she notes with concern the figures of food inflation which has risen to its highest level in 16 months. 'Poor and vulnerable households continue to be impacted by escalating food prices, with no visible end in sight. Social grant increases that came into effect in April of this year were immediately eroded by food prices, whilst the SRD R370 grant remains unchanged, despite the severe economic climate.' BUSINESS REPORT
The Citizen
31-07-2025
- The Citizen
Household food basket stable, but price of meat eating into consumers' budgets
The battle continues for low-income South Africans to afford nutritious food. The average price of the household food basket was stable in July, decreasing by 41 cents from June, but it is clear that the price of meat is eating into the budgets of low-income consumers. According to the household food basket, compiled by the Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice and Dignity Group, the household food basket cost R5 442.72 in July, 41 cents more than in June when it cost R5 443.12, but R190.57 (3.6%) more than in July last year, when it cost R5 252.15. The household food basket is part of the Household Affordability Index compiled by the Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice & Dignity Group from a survey of prices of 44 basic foods from 47 supermarkets and 32 butcheries. ALSO READ: Household food basket a little cheaper in June The survey is conducted by women from low-income communities in Johannesburg, Durban, Cape Town, Pietermaritzburg, Mtubatuba in Northern KwaZulu-Natal and Springbok in the Northern Cape at shops where they shop for their families. Price trends in household food basket Key data from the July 2025 Household Affordability Index shows that the price of 17 of the 44 food items in the household food basket cost more, while 26 food items cost less, while the price of one item stayed the same. Food items in the household food basket that cost more than 5% more than last month include beef (8%), beef tripe (7%) and butternut (20%), while food items that cost between 2% and 5% more, include: full cream milk (3%), chicken feet (4%), chicken gizzards (4%), beef liver (3%), wors (3%), fish (3%), cabbage (2%), polony (4%) and brown bread (4%). The survey shows that food items in the household food basket that cost at least 5% less, include maize meal (-5%), salt (-6%), carrots (-5%), spinach (-6%), bananas (-13%), oranges (-15%) and peanut butter (-5%). Food items that cost between 2% and 5% less, include: cake flour (-2%), white sugar (-2%), sugar beans (-2%), cooking oil (-2%), potatoes (-4%), onions (-3%), eggs (-3%), apples (-3%), margarine (-2%) and apricot jam (-2%). The average price of the household food baskets Johannesburg (R7.58 more), Durban (R45.87 more) and Mtubatuba (R60.32) cost more than in June, while the baskets cost less in Cape Town (R25.88 less) Springbok (R36.93 less) and Pietermaritzburg (R54.43 less). Statistics South Africa's latest Consumer Price Index for June shows that headline inflation was 3.0% and 4.7% for expenditure quintile 1, for quintile 2 it is 4.1% and 3.7% for quintile 3. Food inflation was 4.7%. ALSO READ: Inflation increases in June as food prices increase to 15-month high Food basket unaffordable for those earning minimum wage While these prices do not seem too high for middle-class consumers, it is not easy for workers who earn the national minimum wage of R28.79 per hour, or R230.32 for an 8-hour day and R4 836.72 for an average 21-day working month. July had 23 working days, which means that the maximum wage for a general worker was R5 297.36. Workers work to support their families and therefore the wage they earn is not just to sustain themselves alone but support the entire family, Mervyn Abrahams, programme coordinator at the group, says. He points out that for black South African workers, one wage must typically support four people. Dispersed in a worker's family of four, the wage is R1 324.34 per person, far below the upper-bound poverty line of R1 634 per person per month. With the average cost of a basic nutritional food basket for a family of four costing R3 755.87 in July, using the Pietermaritzburg figures for electricity and transport and the average figure for a minimum nutritional basket of food for a family of four, the group calculates that electricity and transport take up 57% (R3 021.85) of a worker's wage. Workers only buy food after paying for transport and electricity, leaving R2 275.51 for food and everything else. Workers' families will then underspend on food by a minimum of 39.4%. Abrahams says in this scenario there is no possibility of a worker being able to afford enough nutritious food for her family. If she used the entire R2 275.51 to buy food, it would provide R568.88 per person per month for a family of four, again far below the food poverty line of R796 per person per month. ALSO READ: Here's why maize meal prices may drop this year Cost of feeding a child nutritious food It gets even more difficult for low-income consumers to feed their children nutritious food. The average monthly cost to feed a child a basic nutritious diet was R957.41 in July, after a decrease of R13.48 (-1.4%), but R21.70 (2.3%) more than a year ago. Abrahams points out that the child support grant of R560 is 30% below the food poverty line of R796 and 42% below the average monthly cost to feed a child a basic nutritious diet (R957.41). Workers must then also put money aside for household domestic and personal hygiene products that cost R1 021.56 in July. Abrahams says basic hygiene products are expensive but are part of the monthly groceries and therefore compete in the household purse with food as these products are essential for good health and hygiene as well as dignity.
IOL News
31-07-2025
- IOL News
The tightrope between policy disruption and diplomacy at Startup20
(From left to right) Salomi Baloi, DIRCO Acting Chief Operations Officer and Lead Coordinator – G20 Engagement Groups; Kizito Okechukwu, Executive Head of 22 On Sloane and Co-Chair of the Global Entrepreneurship Network (GEN) Africa; Honourable Minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams, Minister of Small Business Development and Vuyani Jarana, Chairperson - SU20 South Africa. Image: Supplied The Startup20 (SU20) midterm engagement was, by all accounts, a success. It brought together taskforce members, youth leaders, global partners, and policy stakeholders in a high energy environment designed to move beyond rhetoric and into action. There was a shared sense of urgency and commitment to shaping meaningful, global policy proposals ahead of the G20 Summit in November. In her address, Minister of Small Business Development Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams highlighted the significance of South Africa's G20 Presidency under the theme "Solidarity, Equality and Sustainability," calling for urgent reform of global trade and financial systems to better serve vulnerable economies and communities. She stressed the importance of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in driving inclusive growth, innovation, and resilience, particularly within underserved rural and township communities. The Minister underscored the need to ensure MSMEs are not afterthoughts in policy, but rather strategic actors in economic development. She reaffirmed South Africa's proposal to establish a formal G20 MSME and Startup Working Group, positioning this as a potential legacy of the current G20 cycle. At its core, the gathering was a working session. It included breakout groups to refine taskforce policy drafts, synergy mapping across themes, panel discussions with key experts, and collaborative dialogue that challenged participants to think not only about what we say in policy, but how we say it. This was not a passive conference; it was a space of co-creation. After the midterm engagement, I've found myself reflecting not only on what we are building, but how we are building it, and most critically, how we are speaking it into being. Language in policy is not neutral. It can build coalitions or break them. It can open doors or slam them shut. It is a tool of inclusion and imagination, but also, at times, of division and misunderstanding. This became abundantly clear when one task force, in passionately critiquing restrictive global frameworks, used the term 'regulatory colonialism.' The intention, I believe, was to spotlight the disproportionate burden placed on African and Global South economies by rigid, one size fits all regulations imposed or incentivised by dominant global actors. In a space that aims to co-create solutions across the G20 and beyond, this word landed with the force of centuries. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading And here lies the tension. Africa has a long and painful history of linguistic erasure and imposed narratives. To reclaim language is to reclaim power. But we must also acknowledge the tightrope we walk in multilateral spaces, where the very policies we craft must be legible, palatable, and adoptable by stakeholders who do not share our histories. Terms like 'regulatory colonialism' may resonate deeply within African contexts. But they risk alienating potential partners or diluting the intended message if the room becomes stuck debating semantics instead of substance. This is not a call to silence bold language. On the contrary, it is a call to wield it strategically. Disruptive language can reframe and rehumanise policy. But to be effective, it must be grounded in clarity, in invitation, and not just indictment. What I've come to understand, perhaps even more acutely after this engagement, is that being disruptive with language is both an art and a responsibility. In a policy context, especially one as nuanced and high stakes as SU20, words must do double duty: they must challenge, and they must connect. We cannot afford to dull our messages into soft diplomacy. But we also cannot allow our most powerful insights to be lost in translation, or worse, rejected outright because of a single triggering phrase. The question is not whether to be disruptive it is how to be disruptive while remaining heard. How to honour our truths while expanding our reach. How to challenge systems while building the coalitions needed to change them. In the end, we must ask ourselves: are we speaking to be right, or are we speaking to create change? Because in spaces like SU20, our words don't just pronounce the world—they have the power to reshape it. Boitshoko Shoke, Research and Impact Manager at 22 On Sloane. Image: Supplied Boitshoko Shoke, Research and Impact Manager at 22 On Sloane. *** The views expressed here do not necessarily represent those of Independent Media or IOL BUSINESS REPORT
