Some children often have their only meal of the day at a feeding scheme. Picture: iStock Although the more affluent consumers in the country have a feeling that the economy will strengthen and their finances will improve, the majority of South Africans still do not know where their next meal will come from, as food security worsens in the country. Andy Du Plessis, managing director of FoodForward SA (FFSA), an organisation that collects edible food and distributes it to people in need, warns that food insecurity in South Africa is worsening, even among households already receiving food aid.
FoodForward SA’s State of Household Food Insecurity in South Africa Report 2026, produced with UCT’s Southern Africa Labour and Development Research Unit, shows that 70% of surveyed households face moderate-to-severe food insecurity, while one in four go entire days without food. Du Plessis points out thatchildren are disproportionately affected, with one third living in severe hunger, while many adults skip meals so that their children can eat. “Hunger is not only a physical reality but an emotional one, with nearly 78% of parents speaking directly to children about the lack of food.
“This study shows, with painful clarity, that hunger is not occasional. It is a daily reality, even for families who already rely on food support.” The 2026 report exposes the scale and severity of food insecurity among households that already rely on local community kitchens for food support. The Household Food Insecurity in South Africa Report is the result of an 18-month research partnership between FFSA and the UCT research unit that used internationally recognised tools, including the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation’s Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES), to turn early warning signs into hard evidence about how food insecurity is causing mounting anxiety.
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The research is based on interviews with the heads of 796 households that regularly receive food through FFSA’s network of beneficiary organisations across the country. Du Plessis says the findings show that food insecurity is increasing and is severe and persistent, even with food assistance programmes in place. According to the report, around70% of surveyed households experience moderate-to-severe food insecurity, and roughly one in four households live in severe conditions where they go an entire day without food.
These patterns are reflected across the 12-month as well as the 30-day reference periods, indicating chronic, structural vulnerability rather than short-term shocks. Du Plessis points out that this is unfolding in a country that produces enough food overall, but where increasing prices, unemployment and stagnant incomes push families over the edge.
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