Food prices up again in August.
The cost of the PMBEJD Household Food Basket increased sharply between March and April and continued its upward trend, albeit at a slower rate until June. July saw a drop in the cost of the basket. It appeared, on the trends in our data, that food prices were stabilising but August is again showing an increase.
A call to support the introduction of a Basic Income Grant for workers to invest in a livelihood, create work, and generate greater demand to kick-start a new economic trajectory.
The prices of foods on supermarket shelves whilst still increasing seem to be stabilising albeit off a higher base. The PMBEJD Household Food Basket has increased by 8,2% (R265) between March 2020 and June 2020, and now costs R3 486.
The report is based on food price data in Pietermaritzburg (with comparisons between pre-lockdown March 2020 and May 2020) and conversations with women in queues and in supermarkets.
An average increase of 7% on the Household Food Index from March 2019 up to the end of March 2020 is significant. It is unclear at this stage whether this will come down in the coming weeks.
That ‘’Janu-worry’’ has entered the national lexicon is an indication that the household affordability crisis is no longer solely a working-class issue. More households are struggling to make ends meet and this struggle is getting harder.
The January 2020 Household Affordability Index shows dramatic spikes in food prices.
December has seen dramatic spikes in food prices with prices increasing for most of the meats and vegetables in the household food basket.
It is expected that prices rise annually in December. These increases however are harder to absorb during this time because of the shorter working days and hours in this period. Workers have less money in their pockets whilst simultaneously having to pay higher prices for goods.
Food prices continue to rise. The trajectory is an upward trend. October 2019 sees a third consecutive month of increases in the cost of the household food basket which may continue to rise into the new year.
