South Africa’s urban food basket reached R1 361.76 in April 2026, highlighting an ongoing affordability crisis. NAMC economist Naledi Radebe explores how supporting informal markets and boosting local production can make nutritious food accessible to all.
Food affordability has emerged as one of South Africa’s most pressing socioeconomic challenges. Despite recent moderation in inflation, many households continue to face significant financial pressure due to persistently high food prices, slow income growth, and elevated unemployment levels.
The burden is particularly severe among low-income households, which spend a large proportion of their income, estimated at 40%, on food. Consequently, rising food prices threaten household affordability, access, and food nutrition.
Recent findings from the National Agricultural Marketing Council’s (NAMC) Food Basket Price Monthly Report indicate that the cost of the 28-item urban food basket increased to R1 361.76 in April 2026, representing a monthly increase of 0.6% and an annual increase of 1.9%. Although the annual increase is lower than in previous years, the cost of food remains high and continues to place pressure on households’ budgets, particularly among vulnerable consumers.
Factors impacting food affordability
Food affordability is determined not only by the price of food, but also by household purchasing power, employment opportunities, income growth, and the broader cost of living.
Food prices are influenced by activities across the entire food system, including production, processing, transportation, storage, retailing, labour costs, and market concentration. As such, improving food affordability requires interventions that address both the cost of food and households’ ability to access it.
In April 2026, the Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ) and the department of science and technology – National Research Foundation (DST-NRF) Centre of Excellence in Food Security (CoE-FS) held a symposium on food prices and affordability in South Africa.
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These concerns formed the basis of the symposium, where policymakers, researchers, industry stakeholders, labour representatives, and civil society organisations gathered to discuss the key drivers of food prices, affordability challenges within the food system, and practical interventions through which to improve access to affordable and nutritious food.
Existing policy interventions
South Africa has implemented several policy interventions aimed at protecting consumers and improving food affordability. Social grants remain one of the most important mechanisms for supporting food access among vulnerable households.
In addition, the government introduced zero-rating on selected basic food products to reduce the cost burden on consumers by lowering the cost of essential food products.
Within the agricultural sector, the government has introduced several policies and programmes aimed at supporting agricultural production, improving food security, supporting smallholder and emerging farmers, and strengthening food system resilience.
These include the implementation of the Agriculture and Agro-processing Master Plan (AAMP), which seeks to enhance the competitiveness, inclusivity, and growth of the agricultural sector.
While these interventions have played an important role in supporting both producers and consumers, the ongoing food affordability challenges suggest that additional policy measures may be required to address the structural factors contributing to the rising cost of food.
What additional policy interventions should be considered?
Improving food affordability requires a more comprehensive and coordinated approach across the entire food system.
First, there is a need to strengthen domestic agricultural production while simultaneously improving logistics and infrastructure.
Second, improving market transparency and strengthening competition oversight could contribute to more efficient price formation and better outcomes for both producers and consumers.
Third, greater attention should be given to the role of informal food markets. Informal traders play a critical role in providing affordable food to millions of South Africans, particularly within low-income communities. Supporting informal food systems through improved infrastructure, access to finance, business development support, and policy recognition could enhance food accessibility while simultaneously promoting local economic development.
Finally, reducing dependence on imported agricultural inputs remains critical. Investments in local fertiliser production, climate-resilient agricultural practices, agricultural research and innovation, and strengthened biosecurity systems could improve production stability and reduce vulnerability to global supply disruptions and exchange-rate volatility.
Food prices remain influenced by several interconnected global and domestic factors in South Africa. As a result, food affordability challenges may persist even when inflation begins to moderate.
Coordinated collaboration is key
In conclusion, there is a growing need for a coordinated food affordability framework in South Africa. Such a framework would require collaboration between government, industry, researchers, and civil society to develop evidence-based interventions that improve affordability while strengthening food security.
Although existing policy measures remain important and continue to provide critical support to households and producers, on their own, they are unlikely to fully address the structural drivers of food affordability.
Broader structural reforms, as implemented by Operation Vulindlela in the Presidency, are necessary to ensure that all South Africans have access to affordable, nutritious food in the long term.
- Naledi Radebe is an economist at the National Agricultural Marketing Council (NAMC). The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of Food For Mzansi.
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