R28.55 a Day for Food: South Africa's New Poverty Line Reveals Harsh Reality

• Statistics South Africa increased the food poverty line to R868 per person per month in 2026, enough for just 2,100 calories a day
• The reference food basket includes maize meal, chicken feet, polony and offal, but poor households were consuming far fewer calories than the benchmark
• A basic nutritious diet for one child already costs nearly R100 more than the entire food poverty line, raising serious concerns about affordability

SOUTH AFRICA - Statistics South Africa revised the country's food poverty line upward to R868 per person per month for 2026. That has South Africans questioning, 'Could you survive with just R28.55 a day?'

The figure is Stats SA's estimate of the minimum amount required to consume 2,100 calories daily. However, the agency itself cautions that this number does not represent a healthy or recommended diet. It is simply a calorie floor.

South Africa's three poverty lines

South Africa uses three poverty benchmarks. The lower-bound poverty line now sits at R1,457 per person per month. This figure accounts for households that cut back on food to cover essential non-food costs such as rent, clothing, healthcare and transport. The upper-bound poverty line is R2,962, reflecting the full cost of meeting both food and non-food needs without compromise.

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The food poverty line sits well below both thresholds, yet for millions of South Africans, even R868 a month remains out of reach.

What R868 buys in reality

Stats SA builds its food poverty line from the spending patterns of lower-income households. The reference basket includes 46 items: maize meal, bread, rice, chicken, chicken feet and heads, offal, polony, canned fish, beans, potatoes, cabbage, cooking oil, sugar and tea.

There is a striking problem buried in the data. The households whose consumption patterns informed the calculation were only eating an average of 1,211 calories per person per day, far short of the 2,100-calorie target. Stats SA adjusted the spending figure upward to close that gap, arriving at R777 in 2023 prices before inflating it to R868 for 2026.

The gap between surviving and eating well is even wider than the headline figure suggests. The Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice and Dignity Group's August Household Affordability Index puts the cost of a basic nutritious diet for a child at R961.96 per month. That is almost R100 more than the full food poverty line for one adult.

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For a seven-person household, the group estimates that a basic food basket costs R5,479.80, while a nutritionally complete basket rises to R6,597.25.

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SRD grant falls far short

The Social Relief of Distress grant, currently set at R370 per month, covers only 42.6% of the food poverty line. For recipients relying solely on that grant, the shortfall between what they receive and what Stats SA considers the bare minimum for food is nearly R500 every month.

The revised figures paint a sobering picture. Reaching 2,100 calories a day on R28.55 may be technically possible on paper, but doing so while also covering transport, housing, healthcare and clothing pushes the real cost of survival well beyond what the poverty line alone can capture.

SA's families struggle to keep food on the table

Previously,Briefly News reported that approximately 3.5 million families do not have enough food to survive, according to Statistics South Africa (Stats SA). The body attributes this to high unemployment levels and an increase in food inflation. The number of South Africans who rely on social grants has also increased. StatsSA's Solly Molayi said that in 2023, eight percent of households did not have enough food to survive. He said households classified as moderate to severe are over 19%. Molayi said that food insecurity is one of the contributing factors.

Source: Briefly News