A joint study by FoodForward SA and the University of Cape Town has determined that food insecurity among South African households receiving aid is not a temporary crisis but a persistent and deepening condition, despite existing assistance programmes.
The 18-month research partnership with the Southern Africa Labour and Development Research Unit (Saldru) involved face-to-face interviews with 796 households regularly receiving food through FoodForward SA’s national network. Focus groups were also held in Mitchells Plain, Cape Town. The study employed the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation’s Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES), an internationally recognised measurement tool.
Findings indicate that food insecurity is severe, widespread, and increasing within the sampled population. Children are disproportionately affected, with the majority living in moderately food-insecure homes and between one quarter and one third experiencing severe food insecurity. The research documents a distressing progression in household coping strategies, moving from food rationing to skipping meals and, ultimately, to going entire days without eating.
A critical factor exacerbating the situation is the high debt burden in underserved communities, where more than 60% of household income is allocated to debt servicing. This severely limits families’ financial resilience and capacity to absorb rising food costs, forcing them into riskier survival strategies.
The report underscores that current food aid, while vital, is insufficient to address the structural and chronic nature of the problem. It calls for a shift towards child-focused interventions, including scaled-up early childhood nutrition programmes and geographically targeted support like community kitchens. It also recommends time-sensitive food or voucher assistance and the establishment of robust safety nets designed to prevent households from accumulating food-related debt.
The study provides empirical evidence that chronic hunger is entrenched for many vulnerable South Africans, highlighting an urgent need for policy and programme responses that move beyond emergency relief to build long-term food security and protect children from its devastating impacts.
