• South Africa’s Food Security Index rose to 56.5 in 2024, up from 44.9 in 2023.

• Food inflation fell from 14% in March 2023 to 1.7% in November 2024, easing pressure on households.

• Shoprite’s Chief Sustainability Officer, Sanjeev Raghubir, warns hunger still affects 1 in 10 children, highlighting persistent inequality.

South African households were able to meet their minimum nutritional needs at the highest level in five years in 2024, according to Shoprite Holdings’ Food Security Index. The index rose to 56.5, up from 44.9 in 2023, signaling a rebound in food security amid easing food price pressures.

Food inflation, which peaked at 14% in March 2023, fell to 1.7% in November 2024, offering relief to households struggling with high living costs. Despite this improvement, hunger remains a serious issue, particularly among children, with at least one in ten children affected nationwide.

“While we are encouraged by incremental improvements, hunger will only be defeated if business, government, and civil society work together. We are however proud of the role the Shoprite Group is playing in making food affordable for millions of South Africans. Price remains the driving factor in determining what families eat, and our business contained internal food inflation to just 2.3% in its 2025 financial year, despite broader cost pressures,” said Sanjeev Raghubir, Shoprite’s Chief Sustainability Officer, according to the company statement

The report highlights the ongoing margin of improvement in Africa’s most industrialized economy, which is constrained by sluggish growth and an unemployment rate above 33%. One aspect to closely monitor according to Shoprite is the informal food value chain, where households must suffer high prices.

While the informal food economy offers better convenience and accessibility to choppers, this comes with a higher cost than supermarket chains. Tackling the issue, however, can be more challenging. In South Africa, the informal food economy is estimated to contribute 205 billion Rand to the economy, excluding job creation and day-to-day household expenses.

By Cynthia Ebot Takang