Submission by the Just Transition in the Food System Group: SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) National Inquiry into the Food Systems of South Africa

The document provides a comprehensive critique of the South African food system, highlighting how historical land dispossession and post-apartheid deregulation have led to extreme corporate concentration and persistent food insecurity. It advocates for a transition toward agroecology and food sovereignty, emphasizing the need for secure land tenure—particularly for women—and the realignment of social grants to meet the food poverty line. The submission also details the 'triple burden' of malnutrition affecting children and the increasing risks posed by climate change to a water-scarce agricultural sector.

• South Africa faces a 'triple burden' of malnutrition characterized by the simultaneous occurrence of undernutrition (stunting and wasting), micronutrient deficiencies, and rising obesity due to a reliance on nutrient-poor, highly processed 'poverty foods'.
• Child stunting rates have remained stagnant for a decade, with approximately 29% of children under five currently stunted and over 60% of four-year-olds failing to meet developmental milestones.
• The food system is highly concentrated, with five or fewer companies dominating key nodes including agricultural inputs (seeds and pesticides), poultry breeding, cattle feedlots, certain food manufacturing sectors, marine fisheries, and retail.
• Current social grants are insufficient to ensure a nutritious diet; the Child Support Grant (R560) is 28% below the food poverty line (R777) and 41% below the estimated cost of a nutritious diet for a child (R948.18).
• Land reform has been slow and ineffectual, leaving farm dwellers and women particularly vulnerable; nearly one-third of farm dweller households are food insecure.
• Agroecology is presented as a critical tool for climate resilience and food security, as it reduces dependence on expensive external inputs, improves soil health, and enhances biodiversity.
• Climate change poses a severe threat to South Africa's food security, as the country is water-scarce and its major staple, maize, is highly sensitive to extreme heat and low rainfall.
• The National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP) is hampered by centralized procurement and inadequate infrastructure, with approximately 96% of its budget dedicated to feeding, leaving negligible funds for nutrition education and sustainable food production.
• Women face systemic barriers to land ownership and are often relegated to insecure arrangements tied to male partners, which limits their capacity to secure food for their families.
• The South African government has failed to pass enabling legislation to give effect to Sections 27 and 28 of the Constitution regarding the right to food 30 years after the Constitution's adoption.

APA

Institute for Economic Justice (2026). Submission by the Just Transition in the Food System Group: SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) National Inquiry into the Food Systems of South Africa. https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/2026.02.27-SAHRC-JTFS-group-submission-compiled_FINAL.pdf

Chicago

Institute for Economic Justice. Submission by the Just Transition in the Food System Group: SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) National Inquiry into the Food Systems of South Africa. 2026. https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/2026.02.27-SAHRC-JTFS-group-submission-compiled_FINAL.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Institute for Economic Justice |title=Submission by the Just Transition in the Food System Group: SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) National Inquiry into the Food Systems of South Africa |date=27 February 2026 |url=https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/2026.02.27-SAHRC-JTFS-group-submission-compiled_FINAL.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{instituteforeconomicjustice2026submission, author = {{Institute for Economic Justice}}, title = {{Submission by the Just Transition in the Food System Group: SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) National Inquiry into the Food Systems of South Africa}}, institution = {Institute for Economic Justice}, year = {2026}, month = feb, url = {https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/2026.02.27-SAHRC-JTFS-group-submission-compiled_FINAL.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }