An Analysis of South Africa’s Food Policies in the Context of the Country’s Food System

Abstract

There are millions of people across the globe, and particularly in South Africa, that are food insecure despite the fact that enough food is produced globally to feed everyone. This food insecurity is driven by increasing population growth, increasing food prices, urbanisation and climate change, all of which also impact the food system. The food system, therefore, needs to transform to address the high numbers of food-insecure people in South Africa. One way in which the South African government can respond is to develop and implement a food policy that supports the food system. Policies that relate to the food system must incorporate an analysis of the food system that identifies the weaknesses and nutritional gaps. This study, therefore, aims to identify and explain the gaps that exist in South Africa’s food policy using a food systems approach. The study also aims to identify the targeted beneficiaries of food policy in an effort to understand whether food policy is inclusive. National policy documents were reviewed and analysed using the Glopan food systems framework (2014), which consolidates policy within the food environment. As this study demonstrates, there are several gaps in South Africa’s existing food policy (2009-2019). For instance: South Africa’s policy environment is fragmented, which hampers the effectiveness of food policy; policy objectives are poorly aligned to adequately address food insecurity and malnutrition; and lastly, food policy does not target the most appropriate population groups. Using these findings, several solutions are suggested to improve the food policy environment to help mitigate the challenge of food insecurity.