THE ‘SUPERMARKETISATION’ OF AFRICAN FOOD SYSTEMS: implications and responses

The document examines the trend of 'supermarketisation' in Africa, where large grocery chains act as gatekeepers in food value chains. It highlights how the buyer power of these chains can marginalise small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) through stringent standards and unfair trading terms, which in turn can hinder climate change mitigation investments. The authors propose a 'Sustainability Compact' consisting of behavioural undertakings for fair treatment of suppliers and active investment in supplier development programmes to create more inclusive and sustainable food systems.

• Supermarkets act as 'gatekeepers' in food value chains and are critical to climate change efforts, as the food industry accounts for a third of global greenhouse gas emissions.
• The growth of supermarkets in Africa varies by region; while rapid in South Africa, it has been slower in other sub-Saharan countries, with Kenya and certain Southern African nations seeing considerable growth.
• Supermarketisation has contributed to public health issues in South Africa, where increased access to energy-dense processed foods and sugar-sweetened beverages led to an estimated energy intake increase of over 50% between 1994 and 2015.
• Large supermarket chains exert substantial buyer power that can marginalise SME farmers and processors through stringent private standards and costs such as promotion fees (10–15%) and settlement discounts (6‖16%), reducing supplier payments by an estimated 10–15%.

APA

African Climate Foundation (n.d.). THE ‘SUPERMARKETISATION’ OF AFRICAN FOOD SYSTEMS: implications and responses. https://africanclimatefoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/800690-02-ACF-Position-Papers-COP27-Supermarket-06.pdf

Chicago

African Climate Foundation. THE ‘SUPERMARKETISATION’ OF AFRICAN FOOD SYSTEMS: implications and responses. n.d. https://africanclimatefoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/800690-02-ACF-Position-Papers-COP27-Supermarket-06.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=African Climate Foundation |title=THE ‘SUPERMARKETISATION’ OF AFRICAN FOOD SYSTEMS: implications and responses |url=https://africanclimatefoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/800690-02-ACF-Position-Papers-COP27-Supermarket-06.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{africanclimatefoundationndsupermarketisation, author = {{African Climate Foundation}}, title = {{THE ‘SUPERMARKETISATION’ OF AFRICAN FOOD SYSTEMS: implications and responses}}, institution = {African Climate Foundation}, url = {https://africanclimatefoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/800690-02-ACF-Position-Papers-COP27-Supermarket-06.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }