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South Africa Household Affordability Index Shows Mixed Food Price Changes in April 2026
A 30kg bag of maize meal fell 16 percent year-on-year to R298.08 while beef liver rose 24 percent to R132.50 for 2kg, according to the Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice and Dignity Group's April 2026 Household Affordability Index. Low-income families underspend on nutritional food by at least 18 percent monthly, creating a R1,166.90 gap.
May 14, 4:48 AM·1m read1 source
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The Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice and Dignity Group released its April 2026 Household Affordability Index on Thursday, showing a mixed picture for low-income South African households where staple carbohydrates have become cheaper but protein sources have grown more expensive. 08 in April 2026. 18 a year earlier.
12 in April 2025. 88 for 10kg, up 12 percent as of April 2026. The cheaper maize meal cannot replace the nutritional value of the proteins whose prices have risen.
According to the April 2026 Household Affordability Index, low-income families in South Africa underspend on basic nutritional food by at least 18 percent every month. 90. Those shortfalls leave visible marks on the youngest children.
The same report found that 30 percent of boys under five in South Africa are stunted. Among girls under five the figure is 25 percent. Stunting represents the permanent physical result of sustained poor nutrition in early childhood.
South Africa's stunting rate was declining slowly before Covid-19. The South African Early Childhood Review 2024, published by the Children's Institute at the University of Cape Town and partners including the Department of Basic Education, found that the pandemic erased those gains. Cases of severe acute malnutrition rose 33 percent between 2020 and 2023.
In 2022/23, 15,000 children were hospitalised for severe acute malnutrition. AllAfrica reported that the April data shows both problems at once: the food that got cheaper is not the food that builds a child's body, while the food that does remains out of reach for many families.
