Household food basket shows food prices still increasing

The price of the household food basket for May shows that food prices for low-income consumers are still increasing despite the inflation rate slowing down. This means that low-income consumers can afford even less nutritious food.

The household food basket is part of the Household Affordability Index compiled by the Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice and Dignity Group with the help of women who live in low-income communities where they shop at 47 supermarkets and 32 butcheries in Johannesburg, Durban, Cape Town, Pietermaritzburg, Mtubatuba in Northern KwaZulu-Natal and Springbok in the Northern Cape.

The average price of the household food basket, which contains 44 food items, was R5 466.59 in May and cost R46,29 (0.9%) more than in April and R136.29 (2.6%) more than in May 2024. A total of 33 of the food items cost more than a month ago, while the prices of the other 11 items deceased.

Foods in the basket which increased in price in May 2025 by 5% or more, include: potatoes (7%), onions (23%), tea (5%), chicken feet (6%), carrots (8%), butternut (9%), spinach (5%), and peanut butter (5%).

Food items that cost more were samp (2%), salt (2%), frozen chicken portions (2%), soup (2%), Maas (4%), beef liver (3%), beef (4%), wors (3%), fish (2%), cabbage (2%), Cremora (3%), bananas (2%), apples (2%), margarine (3%), polony (3%) and apricot jam (2%).

The food items in the basket which decreased in price in May include rice (-5%), tomatoes (-9%), oranges (-23%), white sugar (-2%), full cream milk (-2%), green pepper (-2%) and tinned pilchards (-2%).

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Household food basket cost more everywhere except in Springbok

The average total price of the household food basket increased in Johannesburg (by R51), Durban (by R2.64), Cape Town (by R112.62), Pietermaritzburg (by R6.33) and Mtubatuba (by R87.51), while the price decreased in Springbok. The food basket decreased in price by R28.90.

Statistics SA’s latest Consumer Price Index for April 2025 shows that headline inflation was 2.8%, while food inflation was 3.3%, and the producer price index for March shows agriculture was at 2.4%. However, despite the lower inflation, low-income consumers are still struggling to afford enough food for their families.

Workers who earn the National Minimum Wage of R28.79 per hour or R230.32 for an 8-hour day. In May, with 21 working days, the maximum wage for a general worker was R4 836.72. Black South African workers usually support four people on one wage, which means that, dispersed in a worker’s family of four, the wage comes to R1 209.18 per person, far below the upper-bound poverty line of R1 634 per person per month.

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Low-income consumers cannot afford household food basket

The average cost of a basic nutritional food basket for a family of four was R3 843.40 in May. Using Pietermaritzburg-based figures for electricity and transport and the average figure for a minimum nutritional basket of food for a family of four, the group calculates that electricity and transport (R2 722.97) take up 56.3% of a worker’s wage.

Mervyn Abrahams, programme coordinator for the group, points out that workers only buy food after setting aside money for transport and electricity, leaving R2 113.75 for food and everything else.

“This means that in May we calculate that workers’ families underspent on food by a minimum of 45.0%, having R2 113.75 left over after paying for transport and electricity. And with food for the month costing R3 843.40, there is no possibility of a worker being able to afford enough nutritious food for her family.

“If she uses the entire R2 113.75 to buy food, it will provide R528.44 per person per month for a family of four, again far below the food poverty line of R796.”

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No money for nutritious food for children in household food basket

He says women and children are particularly vulnerable. In May, the average cost to feed a child a basic, nutritious diet was R979.66, with an increase of R6.41 (0.7%) from April and R25.07 (2.6%) compared to a year ago.

In May, the Child Support Grant of R560 was 30% below the Food Poverty Line of R796 and 43% below the average cost to feed a child a basic, nutritious diet of R979.66. It is clear that there is simply no money to feed children in low-income communities a proper, nutritious diet.