Household food basket prices keep increasing for the poor

Household food basket prices for poor people keep increasing, with the prices for September giving a clear indication of how much low-income consumers battle to put food on the table for their families.

This comes at a time when data from the Department of Health shows that more than 15 000 people suffering from severe acute malnutrition required hospitalisation during the 2022/23 financial year.

According to the Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice and Dignity Group’s Household Affordability Index, the household food basket for September shows that that the food in the basket cost R5 155.77, R31.43 (0.6%) more than in August when it cost R5 124.34 and R349.91 (7.3%) more than a year ago.

The index tracks food price data from 47 supermarkets and 32 butcheries, in Johannesburg, Durban, Cape Town, Pietermaritzburg, Mtubatuba and Springbok. The basket is made up from the food that women in low-income households typically buy in the areas where they live for a family of four.

ALSO READ: Here’s why food has become expensive

The biggest price increase was for rice (10kg), where the price increased by R11.18, from R146.61 in August to R157.79 in September. Other big increases were noted for butternut (17%), green pepper (18%), Cremora (5%), bananas (7%), oranges (12%) and peanut butter (5%).

Smaller price increases were noted for cake flour (2%), sugar beans (3%), samp (2%), salt (2%), stock cubes (2%), soup (4%), tea (2%), chicken livers (2%), inyama yangaphakathi (tripe, 4%), apples (2%) and polony (2%).

The total price of the food basket increases in all areas except Durban. In Johannesburg, the basket price increased by R35.11 (0.7%) compared to August and R348.39 (7.1%) compared to a year ago.

Minimum wage not enough to feed family of four

If someone in the family of four has a job, this person most likely earns the national minimum wage of R25.42 an hour and R203.36 for an 8-hour day. In September 2023, with 20-working days, the maximum for a general worker was R4 067.20.

Dispersed in a worker’s family of four, the wage is reduced to R1 016.80 per person, far below the upper-bound poverty line of R1 558 per person per month. Add to this the September cost of a basic nutritional food basket for a family of four at R3 557.41 and it is easy to see how low-income consumers go without nutritional food.

Using Pietermaritzburg-based figures for electricity and transport and the average price for a minimum nutritional basket of food for a family of four, the group calculates that electricity and transport takes up 57.7% of a worker’s wage.

Low-income families usually only buy food after paying for transport and electricity, which leaves them with only R1 720.28 for food and everything else. This means that these families will underspend on food by a minimum of 51.6%.

If the entire R1 720.28 was spent to buy food for a family of four every family member will get R430.07 per person per month, far below the food poverty line of R760.

In September the average cost to feed a child a basic nutritious diet was R907.43, an increase of R7.40 from August, while the Child Support Grant of R500 is 34% below the Food Poverty Line of R760 and 45% below the average cost to feed a child a basic nutritious diet. It is clear that low-income families simply cannot afford enough nutritious food for their children.

This doesn’t take into account the cost of basic hygiene products that compete in the household purse with food but are essential for good health and hygiene. The index shows that the prices of household domestic and personal hygiene products also increased by R21.84 (2.2%) compared to August and by R83.72 (9.2%) compared to a year ago, bringing the total average cost of basic household domestic and personal hygiene products to R996.84 in September.