Household meals basket slightly cheaper in June

The family meals basket was slightly cheaper in June, however lots of the gadgets within the basket that add protein to the diets of low-income shoppers all price greater than in May, whereas the basket additionally price greater than it did a 12 months in the past in June 2024.

According to the important thing knowledge from the June 2025 Household Affordability Index, the typical price for the family meals basket was R5 443.12 in June, after a lower within the common price of R23.46 (-0.4%). The basket price R5 252.77 a 12 months in the past, a rise of R190.36 (3.6%).

The family meals basket is a part of the Household Affordability Index compiled by the Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice & Dignity Group from a survey of costs of 44 primary meals from 47 supermarkets and 32 butcheries.

The survey is carried out by ladies from low-income communities in Johannesburg, Durban, Cape Town, Pietermaritzburg, Mtubatuba in northern KwaZulu-Natal and Springbok within the Northern Cape at outlets the place they store for his or her households.

ALSO READ: Household meals basket reveals meals costs nonetheless rising

Foods in family meals basket that price much less or greater than in May

On June 19, extra of the meals gadgets price extra, whereas 25 meals gadgets price much less. Food gadgets within the family meals basket that price extra embody onions (9%), beef (5%), white sugar (2%), inventory cubes (2%), rooster gizzards (4%), rooster livers (2%), beef liver (3%), wors (4%), carrots (2%) and tinned pilchards (2%).

Food gadgets within the family meals basket that price much less in June embody potatoes (-11%), butternut (-5%), inexperienced pepper (-7%), bananas (-8%), rice (-3%), sugar beans (-2%), curry powder (-3%), full cream milk (-2%), fish (-2%), Cremora (-2%), polony (-4%) and brown bread (-3%).

ALSO READ: Steep improve in value of family meals basket means extra individuals will go hungry

Different family meals basket costs in numerous areas

In June 2025, the family meals basket price extra in Johannesburg, Pietermaritzburg and Mtubatuba, whereas the family meals basket prices much less in Durban, Cape Town and Springbok, which decreased in value:

• The Johannesburg family meals basket price R38.38 greater than in May and R108.97 greater than a 12 months in the past.
• The Durban basket price R115.65 lower than in May and R184.39 greater than a 12 months in the past.
• The Cape Town basket price R31.95 lower than in May and R296.48 greater than a 12 months in the past.
• The Springbok basket price R107.51 lower than in May and R300.47 greater than a 12 months in the past.
• The Pietermaritzburg basket price R96.45 greater than in May and R59.35 greater than a 12 months in the past.
• The Mtubatuba basket prices R27.59 greater than in May and R194.23 (3.7%) greater than a 12 months in the past.

Statistics South Africa’s newest Consumer Price Index for May reveals that headline inflation was 2.8% and for expenditure quintile 1 was 4.6%, for quintile 4.1% and for quintile 3 3.7%. Food inflation was 4.4%, whereas Statistics SA’s Producer Price Index for April 2025 reveals agriculture was 4.7%, with merchandise of crops and horticulture at 7.0% and reside animals and animal merchandise at 1.2%.

ALSO READ: Household meals basket: costs drop, however not for core staple meals

Workers earn too little to afford nutritious meals in family meals basket

Mervyn Abrahams, programme coordinator for the group, says the National Minimum Wage is R28.79 per hour, R230.32 for an 8-hour day and R4 836.72 for a median 21-day working month. In June, with 20 working days, the utmost wage for a normal employee was R4 606.40.

He says employees work to assist their household, and for Black South African employees, one wage usually helps 4 individuals. Dispersed in a employee’s household of 4, it means each member of the family will get R1 151.60, far under the upper-bound poverty line of R1 634 per particular person monthly.

With the June common price of a primary dietary meals basket for a household of 4 individuals at R3 809.26, the group, utilizing Pietermaritzburg-based figures for electrical energy and transport and the typical determine for a minimal dietary basket of meals for a household of 4, calculates that electrical energy and transport take up 57.4% of a employee’s wage at R2 642.97.

ALSO READ: Modest decline in important meals costs however financial savings not all the time handed on

Transport and electrical energy take up greater than half of employees’ wages

Low-income employees solely purchase meals after paying for transport and electrical energy, leaving R1 963.43 for meals and every little thing else. Therefore, the group calculates that employees’ households underspent on meals by a minimal of 48.5% as they’ve R1 963.43 left over after paying for transport and electrical energy.

Abrahams says with meals for the month costing R3 809.26, there is no such thing as a chance of a employee having the ability to afford sufficient nutritious meals for her household. “If the whole R1 963.43 went to purchase meals, then for a household of 4, it will present R490.85 per particular person monthly, once more far under the meals poverty line of R796 per particular person.

In June, the typical month-to-month price to feed a toddler a primary nutritious weight-reduction plan was R970.89, whereas the Child Support Grant of R560 was 30% under the Food Poverty Line of R796 and 42% under the typical month-to-month price to feed a toddler a primary nutritious weight-reduction plan (R970.89).