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Healthy Eating at a Time of High Food Prices

SANCU - 30 July 2008

Hettie Schönfeldt, Nicolette Gibson & Hester Vermeulen

School of Agricultural and Food Sciences

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Food Based Dietary Guidelines

●Developed from 1998 through joint FAO/WHO expert consultation

●Implementation started in 2004

●Based on National Food Consumption Survey (NFCS) (1999)

●Corresponds with South African Demographic and Health Survey (SADHS) (1998)

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Food Based Dietary Guidelines

●Qualitative statements that express dietary goals in terms of foods

●Represent the best consensus of scientific knowledge and public health advice currently available

●Based on the relationship between diet and disease

●Can be used as educational tools for promoting the importance of nutrition to combat the growing double burden of malnutrition

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Food Based Dietary Guidelines

The FBDG’s are the result of a wide consultative process throughout the country, in line with the recommendations of the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO)

Eleven guidelines where

formulated for healthy

eating for South Africans

older than 7 years

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Food Based Dietary Guidelines

The following 1st three guidelines provide general health messages to promote a healthy lifestyle:

● Enjoy a variety of foods

● Be active

● Drink lots of clean, safe water

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Food Based Dietary Guidelines

The following food-based dietary guidelines help us to plan good mixed meals:

● Make starchy foods the basis of most meals

● Eat plenty of vegetables and fruit every day

● Eat dry beans, split peas, lentils and soya regularly

● Chicken, fish, meat, milk or eggs can be eaten daily

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Food Based Dietary Guidelines

The following dietary guidelines teach us about moderation and balance for healthy eating:

● Eat fats sparingly

● Use salt sparingly

● Use food and drinks containing sugar sparingly and not between meals

● If you drink alcohol, drink sensibly

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Food Based Programmes

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Canadian Healthy Eating Guidelines

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Food Groups & Recommended portion sizes

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Staple foods of South Africa

Cooked white maize porridge, sugar, tea, whole milk and brown bread – 5 most often consumed

(NFCS, 2000)

Cereal flours contribute between 50-75% of energy intake of populations in sub-Saharan Africa…

and milling refinement of wheat or maize removes about two-thirds of the vitamins and minerals

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Recommended balanced diet “Grocery List”“Grocery List”

Bread 1 R5.89

Maize 5kg R16.99

Soup bones 643g bag R3.34

Maas 1 carton R7.39

Milk 2L R15.99

Spinach Bunch R2.99

Carrots Bunch R2.99

Tomatoes 1 R1.61

Onion 1 R1.17

Apple 1 R1.49

Potato 1 R2.48

Banana 1 R1.34

Orange 1 R2.04

R70.10R70.10

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Recommended balanced diet Current cost per portionCurrent cost per portion

Bread 3 slices R0.87 3 portions

Maize 500 g cooked R0.50 5 portions

Soup bones 450g R2.44 2 portions

Maas 1 carton R7.39 2 portions

Spinach 100 g raw (±4 leaves) R0.66 1 portion

Carrots 1 R0.32 1 portion

Tomatoes 1 R1.61 1 portion

Onion 1 R1.17 1 portion

Apple 1 R1.49 1 portion

Potato 1 R2.48 1 portion

Banana 1 R1.34 1 portion

Orange 1 R2.04 1 portion

R22.31/dayR22.31/day

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Recommended balanced diet

Portions:•8 grains•8 fruits & vegies•2 meat•2 dairy

R22.31/dayR22.31/day

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R7.20R7.20

R7.39R7.39

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R5.89R5.89 R5.92R5.92

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1 bread (R5.89) VS

1 potato, 1 orange, 1 tomato (R6.13)

R5.89R5.89

R6.13R6.13

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R1.38R1.38

R1.49R1.49

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Effect of Inflation on food prices

Product 2006 R/kg* 2008 R/kg** % Increase

Brown Bread R4.29 R5.89 37%

Tomatoes R9.38 R11.99 28%

Onions R6.11 R6.99 14.4%

Apples R5.23/kg (R7.85/1.5kg)

R8.99 72%

Potatoes R2.18/kg (R15.17/7kg)

R7.99/kg 267%

Milk (2L) R10.27 R15.99 56%

Oranges R3.20/kg (R7.99/2.5kg)

R6.99 118%

*National Agricultural Marketing Council – Food price trends July 2005 – July 2006**As purchased July 2008

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The SU-LSM segments

Proportion of SA population and average monthly income (SAARF, 2008)

0.0

2.0

4.0

6.0

8.0

10.0

12.0

14.0

16.0

18.0

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

% o

f S

A p

opula

tion

0

5

10

15

20

25

Avera

ge h

ousehold

incom

e (

R'0

00)

% of SA Adult population Average monthly income (R'000)

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The LSM segments

0.0

5.0

10.0

15.0

20.0

25.0

30.0

35.0

40.0

LSM 1-3 LSM 4-5 LSM 6-8 LSM 9-10

%

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

Dynamics in the SA adult consumer market(SAARF, 2008)

-29%

+6% +26%

+28%

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R 945

R 1,840

R 1,208R 1,159R 1,100

R 863

R 692

12.8%

7.2%

5.7%5.0%

4.0%

2.2%

0.7%

R 0

R 200

R 400

R 600

R 800

R 1,000

R 1,200

R 1,400

R 1,600

R 1,800

R 2,000

Decile 1 Decile 2 Decile 3 Decile 4 Decile 5 Average deciles 6 -8

Average decile 9 -10

Additi

onal s

pendin

g (

R/h

h/y

ear)

-1.0%

1.0%

3.0%

5.0%

7.0%

9.0%

11.0%

13.0%

Additi

onal s

pendin

g a

s s

hare

of in

com

e

Additional spending (07/08) Additional spending / Income (07/08)

The impact of inflation

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Food Coping Strategies

1. Eat less preferred food

2. Borrow food

3. Buy food on credit

4. Gather wild food

5. Consume seed stock

6. Send members to eat elsewhere

7. Send members to beg

8. Limit portion size

9. Restrict consumption in favour of children

10. Feeding working members at the expense of non-working members

11. Ration money to buy ready to eat food

12. Skip the entire day without meals

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Effect of Inflation

Scenario Cooked Portion size (g)

Estimated portion costs (R)

Share of daily income (%)

Energy contribution (kJ)

Typical – base line 532 0.70 14.0 2420.6

29 % inflation June 06 to June 07 382 0.61 12.2 1736.8

5.4% inflation June 07 to June 08 361 0.60 11.9 1643.0

3.2% Projection June 08 to June 09 350 0.60 11.9 1590.4

Cooked maize meal porridge – assume income stays the same

“Typical” portion: Provides only 37.8% of energy, 25.7% of protein and 20.1% of vit A needs

After 2 years: Provides only 25.7% of energy, 17.4% of protein and 17.4% of vit A needs

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Recommended intake: 10 000 kJ/day

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View on Africa

Africa is the only continent where the nutrition situation has deteriorated in recent decades

• 206 million people in Africa are iron deficient• 86 million are affected by iodine deficiency• 31 million are deficient in vitamin A

It emphasize slow pace of progress in intervention efforts against micro-nutrient deficiencies in Africa (FAO and WHO)

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●Population of 46 million people of which 79% are black Africans

●Majority of South African households live in poverty with a limited variety of foods (mainly staples) available in the home

●30.9 % preschool children stunted●56.2% of the adult population was recorded

overweight or obese (Demographic and Health Survey, 2003),

●highest prevalence of obesity in females●Double burden of disease within same household -

due to rapid urbanization and acculturation

At a glance: South Africa is a developing country

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Prevalence of vitamin A deficiency in South AfricaChildren 6 - 71 months

2118.5

23.5

31.1

38

26.8

33 32

43.5

33.3

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

W Cape

N Cape

Gauteng

E Cape

KZN

F State

Mpumal

N West

Limpopo

SA

SAVACG Survey Report, 1995

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Prevalence of Anaemia and Iron Deficiency in South AfricaChildren 6 - 71 Months

21.1%

34.2%

24.5%

27.7%

17.1%

10.4%20.6%

16.3%

21.5%

28.6%

11%

13.4%

5%

8.1%

11.5%

6.8%

9.8%

9.2%

10.9%

16.4%

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40

W Cape

N Cape

Gauteng

E Cape

KZN

F State

Mpumal

N West

Limpopo

SA

Haemoglobin < 11 g/dl Ferritin < 12ug/l

SAVACG Survey Report, 1995

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Micronutrient intake of children 1-9 years

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Folic Acid

Thiamin

Niacin

Riboflavin

B6

I ron

Vitamin A

Zinc

% Consuming < 67% RDA

NATIONAL FOOD CONSUMPTION SURVEY (1999)

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South African Children under-5 yrs

Mortality rate:

●Rural Areas = 7.12%

●Urban Areas = 4.32% (SADHS, 1998)

●Stunted for age = 30.9%

●Underweight for age = 9.6%

versus

●Overweight for age = 9.3%

(NFCS, 1999)

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Food inflation in South Africa - Nutrition implications

●Future Implications:– Already nutrition dilemma with low vit A, Fe, prot and kJ intake –

with decrease in portion sizes = continual decrease– Fortification programs not calculated based on such low

consumption values– Households could, due to inflation, move significantly closer to

FAO “Hunger threshold” of 1 260kJ/day– High risk of food diversity declining even more

●Future Priorities– Planning for adequate staple foods at affordable prices– Possibility of Government Food stamps

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Parallel activities

●Nutrition Communication Initiative by the Consumer Goods Council of SAResponse to the publication of the new draft regulation for food

labeling and advertising by the DoH. Highlighted the need to build greater capacity in the field of nutrition and to play an active role in the provision of nutrition education to South African consumers

–Agreed that Food Based Dietary Guidelines form the basis

–Development of a Food Guide as a 1st step

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Thank you for your attention