South Africa’s Food Security Reaches New Low, Hunger Levels Increase Across Country’s Households

• The South African Food Security Index 2024 has painted a concerning picture of rising hunger levels
• Food availability in the country is not a concern, but not all households have access to food
• Stunting levels are a significant concern in South Africa, as fewer children have access to proper nutrition

One in every 10 households experiences child hunger, while one in every four poor households has reported having children who go hungry.

That’s one of the damning figures revealed in the South African Food Security Index 2024.

Published by the Shoprite Group, the index is an in-depth report about food security in South Africa, which looked at the availability, accessibility, utilisation and stability of food in the country.

Food security at its lowest level

According to the report, food security in the country is at its lowest level in a decade. Prof Dieter von Fintel, who jointly put together the report, said that there were alarmingly high levels of food insecurity for a country developing at the rate we are.

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In 2019, the country’s food security level was 64.6, but dropped to 45.3 in 2023.

2019 was the peak for the country’s food security, but factors such as lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic, the economic crisis, and inflation have contributed to its decline. When compared to the rest of the world, South Africa is 59 out of 113 in terms of food security and number one in Sub-Saharan Africa.

South Africa’s biggest challenges

One of the biggest challenges currently plaguing the country is hunger. More people across the country are facing starvation despite the amount of food available.

While the country has enough food, not everyone has access to it. Some of the factors that have contributed to this include climate charges, inflation, and global conflicts, which have affected the markets. High unemployment rates have also contributed to the increasing number of people going to bed hungry every day.

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Inflation and a nutritional diet

Inflation remains a big problem in the country. As Professor von Fintel explained, with inflation averaging 6% while salary increases only average 5%, many people cannot purchase the same amount of food they did before.

There has also been an increase in households lacking a proper nutritional diet. With rising food prices, people tend to buy cheaper food that isn’t always nutritious.

“In 2023, in the poorest 10% of households, nearly half of them said they consumed a lower variety of foods than they would otherwise have due to insufficient funds,” the report found.

The threat of stunting grows

A lack of a proper nutritional diet has also contributed to high levels of stunting in the country.

Stunting refers to impaired growth, where children do not reach their full growth in terms of height relative to age seven. This is mainly due to the children not having access to a nutritional diet during their development years.

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South Africa currently experiences a high number of stunting cases and is one of 34 countries that account for 90% of the world’s stunted children. SA is in the same group as some of the world’s poorest countries, including Mozambique, Afghanistan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

South Africa's stunting levels are much higher than Brazil's, a country with a similar Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per person.

In 2007, Brazil’s stunting rate was 7%, while South Africa’s was 21.4%. The country’s rates compare more to those of Zimbabwe, a significantly poorer nation.

In 2019, South Africa’s stunting rate was 24%, while Zimbabwe’s was 23.5%)

The report produced by Prof Dieter von Fintel and Dr Anja Smith from the University of Stellenbosch can be viewed here.

Source: Briefly News