Cost Of Basic Foods Has Risen By 30% Since Start Of Lockdown

Basic food items are costing us more.

According to a report released by the Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice and Dignity Group, families may now be spending 30% more on food compared to before the country went into the COVID-19 lockdown.

The organisation’s research shows the price of a basket of basic food items will now cost at least R265 more than before the lockdown.

A study conducted by the group shows that since the end of March, the price of basic food items such as rice, bread and potatoes have all gone up.

Researcher Julie Smith said a basket containing these and other basic foods had become unaffordable for workers earning a national minimum wage.

“The total cost of the basket now is R3,486. If you put that in context, the national minimum wage per worker who is lucky enough to have a job when they went back to work is R3,487,” said Smith.

Smith added that because more people were now confined to their homes, households were having to buy more food, which also ran out quicker.

The research also found that while an increase in social grants had helped, it’s not enough to buffer the supermarket price increases.

EWN