A new assessment reveals that major South African retailers offer limited access to nutritious and affordable food. The report highlights that 87% of analysed products are unhealthy, amid rising food insecurity affecting one in four households. Experts call for stronger regulations and retailer responsibilities to improve the food environment.
The Access to Nutrition initiative’s (ATNi) Retail Assessment 2025 examined 18 leading retailers across six countries, including South Africa’s Shoprite, Pick n Pay and SPAR, which hold more than two-thirds of the market share where over 80% of food is purchased. The study evaluated corporate nutrition strategies, the healthiness of branded products, promotional practices and pricing approaches.
ATNi executive director Greg Garrett noted that while retailers view nutrition as an investment priority, implementation often falls short. Of 3,496 products analysed, 87% were deemed unhealthy based on ultra-processed markers and high levels of fat, salt and sugar. Less than one-quarter of promotional space focused on healthier options. “So, already a big issue there. But I don’t want to demonise South Africa here, because we’re finding a similar trend in other countries as well,” Garrett said during a Maverick Citizen webinar on the cost-of-living crisis.
In South Africa, a healthier food basket costs 30% more than an unhealthy one, exacerbating food insecurity where 25% of households struggle. This trend strains the healthcare system, with noncommunicable diseases costing R33-billion annually, and hampers children’s cognitive development due to micronutrient shortages.
Opportunities for improvement include Draft Regulation R3337, which proposes a nutrient profile model, front-of-package warning labels and marketing restrictions on unhealthy foods. Public health expert Yolanda Radu from SAMRC/Wits Centre for Health Economics and Decision Science stated, “What that would address is how promotions or how food that is considered unhealthy is marketed, and so that could be a game-changer in terms of our food environment.”
Strengthening the Health Promotion Levy on sugar-sweetened beverages to 20% from the current effective 8% could encourage reformulation, as seen previously. Retailers are urged to disclose nutrition information transparently, set proportional targets for healthy sales, adopt voluntary labelling and avoid marketing unhealthy foods to children. Garrett emphasized that selling healthier products can yield higher margins and reduce risks, stating, “It will build [a] better revenue base, better profit margins and healthier populations.”
Public investments in retailers often prioritize jobs over health outcomes, unlike in the Philippines. Garrett advocated for criteria tying funding to nutrition improvements, saying, “Food is about nourishment, and if you’re going to invest in food as a public entity, then it should absolutely have a criteria in there that it’s also going to improve the health outcomes.” Radu added that public money should mandatorily link to public health goals.