Where food is a right and good nutrition a luxury, millions in SA are stunted

International law recognises every human being’s right to adequate food. Our own constitution states that “everyone has the right to have access to sufficient food and water”. Despite this, our country is grappling with serious issues of hunger. A 2023 report by Stats SA estimates that 3.7-million households had some form of food insecurity. Of this, about 1.5-million households had severe food insecurity. It is wrong that this is happening in a country that with a strong farming industry is considered food secure.

Over half a million South African families with children under five years old have to deal with hunger every day. This means that a quarter of our children are stunted, which is a sign of long-term malnutrition. One of the primary drivers of stunting is the lack of food that’s high in nutrients to support the growth of young bodies.

Researchers have long warned of the consequences of the rapidly occurring nutritional transition, where we no longer eat like our grandparents. We now buy cheaper, more filling, processed foods that have a lot of salt, sugar, and fat.

Since the inception in 2018 of the health promotion levy (HPL), a tax on sugar, people have been drinking less sugary drinks. The HPL has, in turn, generated billions in state revenue. HEALA and its partners have been calling for our government to use the funds generated for lifesaving interventions.

This includes subsidising healthy food, increasing the child support grant, and expanding the National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP). Currently, over 9-million children across the country depend on meals provided by the NSNP. The Department of Basic Education funds early childhood development (ECD) centres R6.80 per child, per day (approx. R9.60 after subsidy increases). While this goes some way to feeding our children, it is not nearly enough to ensure that they are receiving adequately nutritious meals.

About 100 protesters marched to the 7th Social Justice Summit held at the Cape Town International Convention Centre on Friday calling for an end to high food prices. Photo by Mzi Velapi

As of September 2025, the average monthly cost to feed a child a basic nutritious diet was R940,62 while the child support grant stood at R560, almost half of what is needed to provide a growing child with adequate nutrition, according to the Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice and Dignity Group.

South Africa is also grappling with a worsening health crisis linked to ultra-processed foods. Here, as in other developing countries, the food and beverage industry is using its extensive marketing machinery to sell these products to impressionable children. Experts say that over 4-million children between 5 and 19 could be obese by 2031. This puts South Africa among the ten worst-affected countries in the world.

This is why HEALA is calling for the ratification of front-of-package warning labels in South Africa. The finalisation of ‘Regulation R3337’ will restrict the advertising of unhealthy foods – high in salt, sugar, and saturated fat – to vulnerable children.

While parents and children can work towards healthier lifestyles, the issue goes beyond individual choices. The food industry’s influence on the environment in which children grow up is systemic. In South Africa, an estimated 80% of the food available on supermarket shelves is ultra-processed. Furthermore, large food organisations directly target South African children. A study from the University of the Western Cape found that breakfast cereals sold directly to children have less nutrition. 96% of the cereals studied claimed they were healthy.

We join groups like Unicef in asking our government to make strong rules that protect children and make their food better. This includes implementing food labelling regulations, enforcing marketing restrictions on – and taxing – unhealthy food.

HEALA also supports the call by the Union Against Hunger for our government to do more to ensure that our people are saved from food insecurity. This includes extending social security protection to seasonal, informal, and low-income workers during periods of unemployment; extending nutrition programs at ECD centres and schools to all children at all times, including weekends and school holidays.

Zukiswa Zimela is the communications manager at Healthy Living Alliance (HEALA).