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By Anita Dangazele
- Many families are switching to meaty bones because chicken and beef have become too expensive to buy regularly.
- Meat prices rose sharply in 2025 due to foot and mouth disease, forcing households to change what they eat.
A mother from Gqeberha says meaty bones have become her family’s main source of protein as meat prices continue to rise.
She said chicken and beef are now too expensive to buy regularly, while meaty bones still stretch far enough to feed a family.
She buys four kilograms of meaty bones for R75 and uses them to cook stews and dumplings that fill hungry stomachs.
“I realised that meaty bones still have meat and work well for proper meals,” she said.
She plans her shopping carefully and waits for weekly supermarket specials. On discount days, she buys several packets of meaty bones and a few trays of chicken.
Even chicken, she said, no longer lasts as it used to.
A braai pack that once had five pieces now has only four, making it impossible to feed her family without buying extra trays.
She used to buy four trays of chicken a month for Sunday meals. That is no longer affordable.
“Now we eat meaty bones even on Sundays,” she said.
Statistics South Africa shows how severe the pressure has become. Meat prices in November 2025 were 12.2% higher than a year earlier, the biggest increase since 2018.
The main reason is the foot and mouth disease outbreak, which reduced cattle supply and pushed beef prices up sharply.
Sirloin rose to R224 per kilogram, rump steak to R209, chuck to R136 and T bone steak to R164.
Lamb, pork and chicken prices also increased, leaving few affordable options for families.
In coastal provinces, meat prices are even higher, forcing more households to turn to cheaper alternatives just to survive.
Pictured above: Packets of meaty bones.
Image source: Supplied
