{"id":669043,"date":"2023-02-28T15:42:52","date_gmt":"2023-02-28T13:42:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=669043"},"modified":"2023-02-28T15:51:56","modified_gmt":"2023-02-28T13:51:56","slug":"food-prices-continue-to-climb-in-south-africa-heres-how-much-more-you-are-paying","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/lifestyle\/669043\/food-prices-continue-to-climb-in-south-africa-heres-how-much-more-you-are-paying\/","title":{"rendered":"Food prices continue to climb in South Africa – here’s how much more you are paying"},"content":{"rendered":"

The latest Household Affordability Index by the Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice & Dignity group (PMBEJD) shows that food prices in South Africa continued to rise in February 2023.<\/p>\n

The average cost of the PMBEJD\u2019s Household Food Basket was R4,928.34 \u2013 this was up R10.91 (0.2%), from R4,917.42 in January 2023, and up R572.64 (13.1%), from R4,355.70 in February 2022.<\/p>\n

The year-on-year increase outstrips headline inflation by quite a considerable margin, and came in slightly lower than food inflation. Headline inflation was recorded at 6.9% in January, down marginally from 7.2% in December 2022.<\/p>\n

Food and non-alcoholic beverages inflation tracked at 13.4% year-on-year.<\/p>\n

According to Stats SA, food inflation is being driven by bread and cereal products, with the annual rate reaching 21.8% in January. This is markedly higher than the low of 1.5% recorded in January 2022. In fact, this reading is the highest since February 2009 (23.8%).<\/p>\n

Bread & cereal products that recorded notable monthly increases in January include pastry products (pizzas and pies), which increased by 3,6%, maize (up 3.1%), and brown bread (up 1.3%).<\/p>\n

Meat inflation increased to 11.2% in January from December\u2019s 9.7%. Individually quick frozen (IQF) chicken portions, the highest-weighted meat product, witnessed a monthly price increase of 2.7% between December and January.<\/p>\n

Other meat products that recorded significant monthly price increases include fresh chicken portions (up 5.3%), beef offal (up 5.2%), and stewing beef (up 3.6%). Bacon recorded an annual rate of 19.4%.<\/p>\n

Annual fish inflation quickened to 13.0% from 10.4% in December. This is the highest annual inflation rate for fish since May 2009 when it was 14.2%.<\/p>\n

These trends are broadly reflected in the PMBEJD data, with the highest price inflation figures coming in for items like flour and oil \u2013 but some of the most significant increases have been for vegetables like potatoes and onions.<\/p>\n

The PMBEJD basket comprises 44 core food items most frequently purchased by lower-income households, who comprise most households in the country.<\/p>\n

In the basket, only two items showed a price drop between February 2022 and February 2023. Only oranges showed a significant (>10%) drop in prices, while the other item \u2013 sugar beans \u2013 remained virtually unchanged in price.<\/p>\n

The other 38 items in the basket all saw a price jump \u2013 18 of which were above 10%.<\/p>\n

These are the 18 food items that have seen the most significant price increases year on year:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Onions:\u00a0+75%<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Potatoes: +41%<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. Green pepper: +34%<\/span><\/li>\n
  4. Samp: +32%<\/span><\/li>\n
  5. Cabbage: +29%<\/span><\/li>\n
  6. Cake flour:\u00a0+28%<\/span><\/li>\n
  7. Maize meal: +28%<\/span><\/li>\n
  8. Spinach:\u00a0+24%<\/span><\/li>\n
  9. Cooking oil: +22%<\/span><\/li>\n
  10. Carrots: +20%<\/span><\/li>\n
  11. Stock cubes: +20%<\/span><\/li>\n
  12. Brown bread:\u00a0+18%<\/span><\/li>\n
  13. Chicken feet: +18%<\/span><\/li>\n
  14. White bread:\u00a0+18%<\/span><\/li>\n
  15. Butternut: +17%<\/span><\/li>\n
  16. Apricot jam: +14%<\/span><\/li>\n
  17. Fish: +13%<\/span><\/li>\n
  18. Canned beans: +12%<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

    Regionally, in February 2023, food baskets decreased in Durban, Cape Town, and Pietermaritzburg, while prices increased in Joburg and Springbok.<\/p>\n