{"id":850015,"date":"2026-02-07T13:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-07T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=850015"},"modified":"2026-02-09T07:27:46","modified_gmt":"2026-02-09T05:27:46","slug":"the-most-fattening-fast-food-meals-in-south-africa-4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/lifestyle\/850015\/the-most-fattening-fast-food-meals-in-south-africa-4\/","title":{"rendered":"The most fattening fast food meals in South Africa"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Despite being packed with fat, carbs and high levels of salt, South Africans can’t get enough of fast food, with the segment growing significantly since the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

New data from Stats SA shows that, following a significant dip in activity at the onset of COVID, South Africa’s takeout and fast-food segment quickly returned to pre-pandemic levels and has only grown since.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By October 2025, the sector grew into a R3 billion behemoth, sitting just under the R3.5 billion haul from restaurants and coffee shops, which have still not returned to their pre-COVID levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This rise in fast-food success comes despite the very apparent health risks associated with the quick bites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), more than half of the adult population in South Africa is overweight or obese, with two-thirds being women. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As South Africa grapples with a significant obesity crisis, understanding the role of fast food in this epidemic is crucial. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 2023 report by Action highlights that approximately 31% of men, 68% of women, and 13% of children aged 6-14 are affected by overweight or obesity, further underlining the urgent need for awareness around dietary choices. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While food insecurity is a critical factor in the country’s malnutrition figures, obesity is increasingly recognised as a global problem that often stems from the consumption of nutrient-poor diets. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) reported that South Africa faces a triple burden of malnutrition, which includes undernutrition, hidden hunger, and the prevalence of unhealthy weight due to diets high in calories but low in essential nutrients. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A 2024 HSRC study found that a significant portion of South African households rely on nutrient-poor food groups, suggesting that many individuals are turning to convenient yet unhealthy options. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fact, 18.6% of households consumed poor diets, while 23.3% consumed borderline poor diets, according to the study.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The association between fast-food consumption and obesity is strengthened by research from Germany and Rhodes University, which links the proximity of fast-food restaurants to increased rates of overweight individuals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In response to these pressing issues, the South African government has rolled out the National Food and Nutrition Security Plan for 2018-2023, aimed at combating food insecurity and improving nutrition. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Heftiest fast foods in South Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Although the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for an adult is 8,700 kilojoules (kJ) per day, which varies among individuals, the kilojoule content of some fast-food meals exceeds this amount.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

BusinessTech looked at some of the most fattening meals across South Africa\u2019s most popular fast-food chains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Worryingly, despite nutritional information historically being easily accessible to consumers, many fast food chains don’t provide that information on their websites or menus. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The fattiest fast food meal, sitting at 14,959 kJ or 3,575 calories, is Debonairs\u2019 Triple-Decker Topped Meaty pizza. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If one person were to consume an entire stacked pizza, they would be consuming 172% of their RDA. One slice alone (approximately 1,875kJ) is more than a fifth of the RDA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fishaways’ highest-calorie meal (for one person) is the Platter for one (fried) with chips, which has 7,883 kJ, that is equivalent to 1,884 calories\u2014up from 6,046 kJ recorded in 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, Fishaways’ protein content has increased to 63 g, up from 39 g in 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The seafood restaurant chain also offers healthier options such as meals under 500 calories (2,092 kJ).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Out of these options, the meal with the lowest amount of calories is the hake and salad, with only 295 calories (1,234 kJ).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Steers’s Mo’Mjojo burger and chips meal contains approximately 8446 kJ, of which the burger alone accounts for 5,847 kJ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Below is the nutritional information of five high-calorie meals from popular fast-food restaurants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Debonairs\u2019 Triple-Decker Topped Meaty Pizza<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Total kilojoules (kJ)<\/td>14,959<\/td><\/tr>
kJ Per Slice<\/td>1,870<\/td><\/tr>
Fat (g)<\/td>153<\/td><\/tr>
Carbohydrates (g)<\/td>342<\/td><\/tr>
Sodium (mg)<\/td>5,242<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n

KFC – Fully Loaded Box Large (With Zinger Burger)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Total kilojoules (kJ)<\/td>5,181<\/td><\/tr>
Fat (g)<\/td>42<\/td><\/tr>
Carbohydrates (g)<\/td>160<\/td><\/tr>
Sodium (mg)<\/td>2,662<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n

Fishaways \u2013 Platter for One (fried) with chips<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Total kilojoules (kJ)<\/td>7,883<\/td><\/tr>
Fat (g)<\/td>123<\/td><\/tr>
Carbohydrates (g)<\/td>131<\/td><\/tr>
Protein (g)<\/td>63<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n

McDonald\u2019s \u2013 Large McFeast Meal<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Total kilojoules (kJ)<\/td>7,293<\/td><\/tr>
Fat (g)<\/td>100<\/td><\/tr>
Carbohydrates (g)<\/td>142<\/td><\/tr>
Sodium (mg)<\/td>1,561<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n

Steers \u2013 Mo’Mjojo burger and chips <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Total kilojoules (kJ<\/td>8,446<\/td><\/tr>
Fat (g)<\/td>149<\/td><\/tr>
Carbohydrates (g)<\/td>118<\/td><\/tr>
Sodium (mg)<\/td>4,705<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n

Burger King – [NEW] Texas BBQ Bacon Bundle<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Total kilojoules (kJ<\/td>8,116<\/td><\/tr>
Fat (g)<\/td>87<\/td><\/tr>
Carbohydrates (g)<\/td>201<\/td><\/tr>
Sodium (mg)<\/td>5,900<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Despite being packed with fat, carbs and high levels of salt, South Africans can’t get enough of fast food, with the segment growing significantly since the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":127,"featured_media":850181,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9876],"tags":[9399,20346,9401],"class_list":["post-850015","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifestyle","tag-fast-food","tag-malnutrition","tag-obesity"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/850015","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/127"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=850015"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/850015\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":850249,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/850015\/revisions\/850249"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/850181"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=850015"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=850015"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=850015"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}