These 7 groceries are cheaper in South Africa
The Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice & Dignity Group (PMBEJD)’s latest Household Affordability Index shows food prices in South Africa are climbing ever higher – although inflation has slowed and is moving towards manageable levels.
For July 2023, The average cost of the Household Food Basket is R5,081.94.
The average cost of the Household Food Basket increased by R25.48 (0.5%), from R5,056.45; year-on-year, the basket increased by R333.07 (7.0%), from R4,748.87 in July 2022.
This increase outstripped headline inflation for June but came in lower than food inflation. Headline inflation was recorded at 5.4% YoY in June, down from 6.3% YoY in May.
Inflation for food & non-alcoholic beverages slowed in June at 11.0% from April’s print of 11.9%.
Most food and NAB components recorded lower inflation rates in June – however, some climbed even higher.
Sugar, sweets and desserts climbed from 11.9% in May to 16.4% in June – the highest reading for the category since June 2017.
Stats SA noted annual increases for brown sugar (up 17.4%), white sugar (up 17.1%) and chocolate slabs (up 16.2%).
According to the latest assessment from the Bureau for Food and Agricultural Policy (BFAP), fresh produce and meat prices in South Africa are easing, tracking a global decline in the same categories.
However, some price pressure still persists. Despite this, the BFAP said that there are some indications that prices are normalising.
These trends are also broadly reflected in the PMBEJD data.
The PMBEJD basket comprises 44 core food items most frequently purchased by lower-income households, who make up most households in the country.
Of the 44 items in the basket, 37 saw prices increase, while 7 food items came down in price.
Looking at the more extreme end of the spectrum, three items saw increases above 20% year on year. These are:
- Onions: +81%
- Potatoes: +40%
- Butternut: +35%
On the other hand, only one food product saw a sizeable price drop – cooking oil, which came down by 29%. However, having seven items come down in price will be a welcome change from the last year or so where prices were only going up.
The seven items that are now cheaper are:
- Cooking oil: -29%
- Oranges: -13%
- Spinach: -7%
- Bananas: -5%
- Beef: -5%
- Margarine: -2%
- Wors: -1%
This is how basket prices have changed regionally:
- The Joburg basket increased by R118.57 (2.4%) month-on-month, and increased by R380.02 (8.0%) year-on-year, to R5,151.51 in July 2023.
- The Durban basket decreased by R54.27 (-1.1%) month-on-month, and increased by R169.79 (3.5%) year-on-year, to R5,021.67 in July 2023.
- The Cape Town basket increased by R70.32 (1.4%) month-on-month, and increased by R406.53 (8.7%) year-on-year, to R5,054.79 in July 2023.
- The Springbok basket decreased by R95.97 (-1.8%) month-on-month, and increased by R381.19 (7.7%) year-on-year, to R5,300.32 in July 2023.
- The Maritzburg basket decreased by R1,32 (-0.0%) month-on-month, and increased by R379.78 (8.3%) year-on-year, to R4,944.72 in July 2023.
- The Mtubatuba basket decreased by R117.46 (-2.2%) month-on-month, and increased by R384.95 (8.0%) year-on-year, to R5,169.28 in July 2023.
Read: Eskom price hikes tear through South African households
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