- The average 44-food basket cost R5,512.53 in October, while core foods rose 3.7% over a year.
- A minimum-wage worker earning R5,320.48 in October could be R1,883.69 short of buying nutritious food for four people after transport and electricity.
The foods families buy first are taking up more than half the cost of a basic grocery basket, putting pressure on the money available for a nutritious diet.
The Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice and Dignity Group released its October Household Affordability Index on Wednesday, 28 October.
Its basket of 44 foods cost R5,512.53, about R24 more than September’s R5,488.06. That is a monthly increase of 0.4% and an annual increase of 1.3%.
The basket reflects the foods and quantities a low-income family of seven tries to buy each month. It is not nutritionally complete.
The core foods families prioritise,including maize meal, rice, flour, sugar, potatoes, onions, chicken and bread, cost R2,961.75.
That is 54% of the basket’s total price. These core foods rose 3.7% over a year, faster than the basket as a whole.
Not everything became more expensive. Compared with September, 17 foods rose in price and 27 became cheaper.
Maize meal and rice cost less than a year ago. But onion prices more than doubled, potatoes rose 33% and tomatoes rose 21%. White bread was up 8%, while brown bread rose 3%.
“These foods must be bought regardless of price escalations,” the report says.
The group warns that when the basics absorb too much money, families cut back on nutritious foods such as meat, eggs, dairy, vegetables and fruit.
A separate basket designed to provide basic nutrition for a family of seven cost R6,692.25.
That is R1,179.72 more than the household basket. The cheaper basket costs about 18% less, showing the gap between the foods families try to afford and those needed for a balanced diet.
The squeeze becomes clearer in the group’s example of a family of four supported by one minimum-wage worker.
At R30.23 an hour, someone working eight hours a day for 22 days earns R5,320.48 before deductions.
The calculation assumes four R24 taxi trips each working day and 350 units of prepaid electricity at Msunduzi Municipality’s tariff.
Transport costs R2,112 and electricity costs R1,263.45. Together, they swallow R3,375.45, almost two-thirds of the wage.
That leaves R1,945.03 for food and everything else.
A basic nutritious food basket for four costs R3,828.72, leaving a food shortfall of R1,883.69 before other household bills are paid.
Children face a similar gap.
The group puts the average monthly cost of a basic nutritious diet for a child at R975.66. The R580 Child Support Grant falls R395.66 short, about 41% below that cost.
The grant is also 33% below the national food poverty line of R868 per person a month. That poverty line measures the minimum cost of meeting energy needs, rather than the cost of a fully nutritious diet.
Tax also takes a bite. The group calculated that VAT included in the household basket came to R346, more than the R289.12 cost of 30kg of maize meal.
Prices varied sharply between areas. The same basket cost R5,848.83 in Springbok and R5,207.31 in Pietermaritzburg, a difference of R641.52.
The figures already reflect efforts to find cheaper food. Women collect prices during the first week of the month at 52 supermarkets and 36 butcheries across seven areas.
They compare shops and brands and look for special offers, following the choices women make when trying to stretch a limited food budget.
