Nearly half of SA population to be food insecure by 2025 – report
The latest Food Index by Shoprite Group shows that nearly half of the South African population will be food insecure by 2025.
Its research shows 48.96% of the population will potentially not have enough to eat.
The food index was launched on Monday morning in commemoration of World Food Day.
According to the research, Limpopo will suffer the worst food insecurity, with 54% of the population not sure about where their next meal will come from, while the numbers in the Western Cape and Gauteng are also high at 41% and 47%, respectively.
Head of Sustainability at the Shoprite Group Sanjeev Raghubir urged South Africans to join existing programmes to tackle food insecurity.
“To deal with the problem, we need to better understand it, and the Food Index provides us with some insight. Although the modelling shows an improvement by 2025, the reality is that in two years’ time, just under half the population will still be struggling with hunger.
“That’s why we must urgently escalate the rate of people escaping food insecurity. Doing so will improve not only their prospects but that of the country.”
In 2020, 52% of South Africans were food insecure.
Raghubir says the group aims to increase awareness of food insecurity and encourage South Africans to support initiatives that are successfully rolling back hunger and poverty.
“There are many ways ordinary people can contribute to existing, successful programmes. For example, consumers can donate as little as R5 to the Act For Change Fund at any Shoprite, Checkers or Usave supermarket.
These donations are distributed to communities through vetted beneficiary organisations, including Rise Against Hunger, Meals on Wheels, Operation Hunger and more.
“And it’s not only about donating money. Other ways to help could include starting or contributing to a food garden or volunteering at a soup kitchen. Cumulatively, even seemingly small interventions can make a significant difference,” said Raghubir.
He added: "The numbers in the Food Index are unacceptably high, and the trickle of people escaping food insecurity too low. That’s why we are intensifying our efforts to reduce hunger, a crisis that demands a collaborative effort from agriculture, manufacturers, retailers, government, NGOs and anyone who has the capacity to ActForChange. Tackling hunger isn’t just a decent thing to do. It helps secure our future.”
The latest Food Index by Shoprite Group by Anastasi Mokgobu on Scribd
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