Hunger Summit Presentation

1. 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
1

2. 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)
2

3. 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
3

4. 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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5. 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
5

6. 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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7. 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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8. Food Based Programmes
8

9. Canadian Healthy Eating Guidelines
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10. Food Groups & Recommended portion sizes
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11. 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
11

12. Recommended balanced diet
“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
R70.10
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13. Recommended balanced diet
Current 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/day
13

14. Recommended balanced diet
ortions: R22.31/day
•
grains
•
fruits
& vegies
•
meat
• 14

15. R7.20
R7.39
15

16. R5.89 R5.92
16

17. R6.13
R5.89
1 bread (R5.89)
VS
1 potato, 1 orange, 1 tomato (R6.13)
17

18. R1.49
R1.38
18

19. 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 R8.99 72%
(R7.85/1.5kg)
Potatoes R2.18/kg R7.99/kg 267%
(R15.17/7kg)
Milk (2L) R10.27 R15.99 56%
Oranges R3.20/kg R6.99 118%
(R7.99/2.5kg)
*National Agricultural Marketing Council – Food price trends July 2005 – July 2006
**As purchased July 2008 19

20. The SU-LSM segments
Proportion of SA population and average monthly
income (SAARF, 2008)
Average household income (R'000)
18.0 25
16.0
% of SA population
14.0 20
12.0
15
10.0
8.0
10
6.0
4.0 5
2.0
0.0 0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
% of SA Adult population Average monthly income (R'000)
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21. The LSM segments
Dynamics in the SA adult consumer market
(SAARF, 2008)
40.0
-29%
35.0
30.0 +6% +26%
2001
25.0 2002
2003
20.0
%
2004
2005
15.0
+28% 2006
2007
10.0
5.0
0.0
LSM 1-3 LSM 4-5 LSM 6-8 LSM 9-10
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22. The impact of inflation
R 2,000 12.8% 13.0%
R 1,840
R 1,800
11.0%
Additional spending as share of income
R 1,600
Additional spending (R/hh/year)
R 1,400 9.0%
R 1,159 R 1,208
R 1,200
7.2% R 1,100 7.0%
R 1,000 R 945
R 863 5.7%
5.0% 5.0%
R 800
R 692 4.0%
R 600 3.0%
2.2%
R 400
1.0%
R 200
0.7%
R0 -1.0%
Decile 1 Decile 2 Decile 3 Decile 4 Decile 5 Average deciles 6 - Average decile 9 -
8 10
Additional spending (07/08) Additional spending / Income (07/08)
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23. 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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24. Effect of Inflation
Cooked maize meal porridge – assume income stays the
same
Scenario Cooked Estimated Share of Energy
Portion size (g) portion costs daily contributio
(R) income (%) n (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
“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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25. Recommended intake: 10 000 kJ/day
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26. 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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27. At a glance: South Africa is a developing country
● 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
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28. Prevalence of vitamin A deficiency in South Africa
Children 6 - 71 months
43.5
45
38
40
33 32 33.3 W Cape
35 31.1
N Cape
30 26.8
23.5 Gauteng
25 21 E Cape
18.5
20 KZN
15 F State
10 Mpumal
N West
5
Limpopo
0 SA
pe ap
e
ng ape Z N te al st po A
a e S
C
a C ut
e
C K S
t
pum W po SAVACG Survey Report,
N a E F N m 1995
W G M Li
28

29. Prevalence of Anaemia and Iron Deficiency in South Africa
Children 6 - 71 Months
Haemoglobin < 11 g/dl Ferritin < 12ug/l
SA 9.8% 21.1%
Limpopo 11%
34.2%
N West 8.1%
24.5%
Mpumal 11.5% 27.7%
F State 6.8% 17.1%
KZN 13.4%
10.4%
E Cape 5% 20.6%
Gauteng 9.2% 16.3%
N Cape 10.9% 21.5%
W Cape 16.4%
28.6%
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40
SAVACG Survey Report, 1995
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30. NATIONAL FOOD CONSUMPTION SURVEY (1999)
Micronutrient intake of children 1-9 years
Zinc
Vitamin A
Iron
B6
Riboflavin
Niacin
Thiamin
Folic Acid
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
% Consuming < 67% RDA
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31. 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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32. 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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33. Parallel activities
●Nutrition Communication Initiative by the
Consumer Goods Council of SA
Response 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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34. Thank you for your attention
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