While SA considered food-secure, many households face food insecurities, says CoE-FS

The Centre of Excellence for Food Security (CoE-FS) said that while South Africa is considered a food-secure country, many households face food insecurities.

It added that there’s also been a big shift from whole to more processed foods, which lack nutritional value.

Director at CoE-FS, Julian May, said this was often because processed foods tended to be cheaper.

He added that processed foods tend to be filled with empty calories, leading to weight gain.

"We also have an enormous problem of overweight and obesity, and that is because people are eating food which is energy dense but is poor in providing nutrition. That's not because people are greedy or people are spending too much money on the food, it's because those are the kinds of foods that are cheap."