[REVISION HISTORY]

South Africa food price inflation trends

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2026-10-02 08:37 UTC → 2026-10-21 08:55 UTC · added ~~removed~~

South Africa is experiencing a discrepancy between food production costs and retail prices. While producer price inflation slowed to 5% in August, with food product prices falling by 0.6% year-on-year—driven by decreases in meat and grain mill products—consumer costs remain high. Retail food and non-alcoholic beverage inflation has accelerated, as lower factory-gate costs are offset by intermediary expenses such as transport, electricity, packaging, storage, and wages. Recent data shows the average 44-item household food basket rose to R5,488.06 in September. Although staples like maize meal and rice have decreased in price, significant hikes in vegetables and fruit, such as onions (up 66%) and bananas (up 23%), have increased the overall cost of living. ~~These~~ By September 2026, food and non-alcoholic beverage inflation showed signs of slowing to 1.2% year-on-year, offering some relief to household budgets. While cereal products and fruits experienced price decreases, seafood emerged as a notable outlier with an 8.0% annual price surge. Despite this deceleration in food inflation, broader economic pressures persist. Business confidence declined from 135.1 points in August to 134.3 points in September, largely due to rising energy costs ~~present significant challenges for minimum wage earners, who may lack sufficient funds~~ and international energy price uncertainty. While the manufacturing sector moved from contraction to ~~cover a nutritious diet for a family~~ expansion with an Absa Purchasing Managers' Index of ~~four.~~ 50.7, significant increases in fuel and electricity tariffs continue to drive inflationary pressures.

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