Household food basket stable, but price of meat eating into consumers’ budgets

The common worth of the family meals basket was steady in July, reducing by 41 cents from June, however it’s clear that the worth of meat is consuming into the budgets of low-income customers.

According to the family meals basket, compiled by the Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice and Dignity Group, the family meals basket value R5 442.72 in July, 41 cents greater than in June when it value R5 443.12, however R190.57 (3.6%) greater than in July final yr, when it value R5 252.15.

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 fundamental meals from 47 supermarkets and 32 butcheries.

ALSO READ: Household meals basket slightly cheaper in June

The survey is performed by girls 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.

Price developments in family meals basket

Key knowledge from the July 2025 Household Affordability Index reveals that the worth of 17 of the 44 meals objects within the family meals basket value extra, whereas 26 meals objects value much less, whereas the worth of 1 merchandise stayed the identical.

Food objects within the family meals basket that value greater than 5% greater than final month embrace beef (8%), beef tripe (7%) and butternut (20%), whereas meals objects that value between 2% and 5% extra, embrace: full cream milk (3%), rooster toes (4%), rooster gizzards (4%), beef liver (3%), wors (3%), fish (3%), cabbage (2%), polony (4%) and brown bread (4%).

The survey reveals that meals objects within the family meals basket that value a minimum of 5% much less, embrace maize meal (-5%), salt (-6%), carrots (-5%), spinach (-6%), bananas (-13%), oranges (-15%) and peanut butter (-5%).

Food objects that value between 2% and 5% much less, embrace: cake flour (-2%), white sugar (-2%), sugar beans (-2%), cooking oil (-2%), potatoes (-4%), onions (-3%), eggs (-3%), apples (-3%), margarine (-2%) and apricot jam (-2%).

The common worth of the family meals baskets Johannesburg (R7.58 extra), Durban (R45.87 extra) and Mtubatuba (R60.32) value greater than in June, whereas the hampers value much less in Cape Town (R25.88 much less) Springbok (R36.93 much less) and Pietermaritzburg (R54.43 much less).

Statistics South Africa’s newest Consumer Price Index for June reveals that headline inflation was 3.0% and 4.7% for expenditure quintile 1, for quintile 2 it’s 4.1% and three.7% for quintile 3. Food inflation was 4.7%.

ALSO READ: Inflation will increase in June as meals costs enhance to 15-month excessive

Food basket unaffordable for these incomes minimal wage

While these costs don’t appear too excessive for middle-class customers, it isn’t simple for staff who earn the nationwide minimal wage of R28.79 per hour, or R230.32 for an 8-hour day and R4 836.72 for a median 21-day working month.

July had 23 working days, which implies that the utmost wage for a normal employee was R5 297.36. Workers work to help their households and due to this fact the wage they earn is not only to maintain themselves alone however help all the household, Mervyn Abrahams, programme coordinator on the group, says.

He factors out that for black South African staff, one wage should usually help 4 individuals. Dispersed in a employee’s household of 4, the wage is R1 324.34 per particular person, far under the upper-bound poverty line of R1 634 per particular person per 30 days.

With the typical value of a fundamental dietary meals basket for a household of 4 costing R3 755.87 in July, utilizing the Pietermaritzburg figures for electrical energy and transport and the typical determine for a minimal dietary basket of meals for a household of 4, the group calculates that electrical energy and transport take up 57% (R3 021.85) of a employee’s wage.

Workers solely purchase meals after paying for transport and electrical energy, leaving R2 275.51 for meals and every thing else. Workers’ households will then underspend on meals by a minimal of 39.4%.

Abrahams says on this situation there isn’t a risk of a employee with the ability to afford sufficient nutritious meals for her household. If she used all the R2 275.51 to purchase meals, it will present R568.88 per particular person per 30 days for a household of 4, once more far under the meals poverty line of R796 per particular person per 30 days.

ALSO READ: Here‘s why maize meal costs could drop this yr

Cost of feeding a toddler nutritious meals

It will get much more tough for low-income customers to feed their kids nutritious meals. The common month-to-month value to feed a toddler a fundamental nutritious food regimen was R957.41 in July, after a lower of R13.48 (-1.4%), however R21.70 (2.3%) greater than a yr in the past.

Abrahams factors out that the kid help grant of R560 is 30% under the meals poverty line of R796 and 42% under the typical month-to-month value to feed a toddler a fundamental nutritious food regimen (R957.41).

Workers should then additionally put cash apart for family home and private hygiene merchandise that value R1 021.56 in July. Abrahams says fundamental hygiene merchandise are costly however are a part of the month-to-month groceries and due to this fact compete within the family purse with meals as these merchandise are important for good well being and hygiene in addition to dignity.