Kamogelo Olaitan
Just like consumers in the rest of the world, South Africans are juggling rising food prices.
This is as a result of rising inflation and soaring petrol prices caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Many resort to grocery shop-hopping, but which store is the cheapest when it comes to staple starches and grains every South African household buys monthly?
BusinessInsider compared the prices at the three biggest supermarkets in the country: Pick n Pay, Checkers and Woolworths.
The prices compared are those of rice, flour, maize meal, pasta, potatoes and breakfast cereal. Woolworths, which is known to cater for upmarket high earners, surprisingly had some of the cheapest options in their private brand.
This is what different types of grains and starch cost as of Monday 13 June 2022.
2.5 kg Maize Meal
Maize meal is the cheapest at Checkers at R23.99 for the Tafelberg brand, with the more popular brands White Star and Ace the priciest, but Woolworths has the cheapest White Star maize meal at R30.99. The Ace brand is the cheapest at Checkers and Woolworths. Checkers has a couple of cheaper brands on offer, such as Pride and Impala, both under R30.
On average, maize meal cost almost R33 for a 2.5kg bag.
2.5 kg Flour
Woolworths has the cheapest 2.5kg flour at R34.99 for its private label called Woolworths Essential while Pick n Pay’s No Name brand cost R35.99 for the same size packet of flour.
Checkers has the priciest, with its Sasko flour costing R42.99.
2 kg Rice
Long grain parboiled rice is also one of the most common staples in the county. Checkers’ private label housebrand is currently the cheapest, costing R26.99, followed by Pick n Pay’s private label at R28.99. The second cheapest at the same store is Excella brand which is selling at R29.99.
Woolworths is currently selling its private label rice for R34.99 and the same for Tastic, which costs a rand more at Checkers and Pick n Pay. On average, a 2kg bag of rice is currently retailing for R33.40.
1 kg Samp
Woolworths has the cheapest 1kg samp with its private label brand priced at R13.99. In contrast, the Ace brand of samp came in as the second cheapest, available at Checkers and Pick n Pay at the same price, R15.99.
The average cost of 1kg of samp currently sits at R15.99.
500g Pasta
The cost of 500g of spaghetti is usually under R22, and you will find the cheaper option of the Pick n Pay No Name brand at R12.99, while it has the Fatti’s and Moni’s brand at R19.99, compared to R17.99 for the same at Checkers. Woolworths has a range of private label pasta and its two spaghetti options cost R18.99 and R39.99.
1 kg Kellogg’s Corn Flakes
Woolworths and Pick n Pay had the most expensive 1kg box of Kellogg’s corn flakes, which cost R75.99 at both supermarkets, as compared to R74.99 at Checkers.
On average, consumers pay R75.66 for a 1kg box of Kellog’s corn flakes.
2 kg Potatoes
Pick n Pay has the cheapest 2kg bag of potatoes, which cost R30, while Woolworths’s large potatoes will set you back to R36.99.
The average spend on potatoes is currently R37.70.
