The March 2025 Household Affordability Index reveals troubling trends in food prices, highlighting the ongoing struggles of working families in South Africa

Compiled by the Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice and Dignity (PMBEJD), which tracks the prices of 44 basic foods from 47 supermarkets and 32 butcheries, in Johannesburg, Durban (KwaMashu, Umlazi, Isipingo, Durban CBD, Hammarsdale and Pinetown) and Pietermaritzburg, it shows that:

In March 2025: The average cost of the HouseholdFoodBasket was R5 329,36.
Month-on-month: The average cost of the HouseholdFoodBasket increased by R16,14 (0,3%), from R5 313,22 in February 2025 to R5 329,36 in March 2025.

PMBEJD spokesperson Mervyn Abrahams said in March, of the 44 foods tracked in the basket: 22 foods increased in price, 21 foods decreased in price, and 1 food: oranges, remained unchanged.

The core staple foods of maize meal, rice, cake flour, white sugar, sugar beans, samp and cooking oil – all saw price increases in March, he said.

“This is problematic as these items take up proportionally the most money in the household purse, and are bought first. Meat prices came down, with the exception of frozen chicken portions which increased by 2%, with 10kg costing R410,41.

Vegetable prices went up, with the exception of potatoes, tomatoes and green pepper. Onions, carrots, butternut, spinach, and cabbage increased in price,” added Abrahams.

Foods in the basket which increased in price in March 2025 by 5% or more, include: onions (5%), carrots (15%), butternut (7%), and cabbage (6%).

Foods in the basket which increased in price in March 2025 by 2% or more, include: maize meal (2%), sugar beans (4%), samp (3%), cooking oil (2%), frozen chicken portions (2%), curry powder (3%), wors (4%), spinach (3%), bananas (2%), and peanut butter (4%).

“Workers families are still falling well below the food poverty line, and therefore will continue to struggle to put proper nutritious food on the table, so essential for worker productivity, health and well-being.

“Workers will further be unable to ensure that their children eat properly and thereby workers’ children will not be able to grow and thrive, nor improve their chances of doing better at school, and when they grow up, they too will enter the workplace disadvantaged,” added Abrahams.

“In a few months’ time, the 2025/26 Eskom tariff hike of 12,7% will come into effect. This tariff hike may add an additional R115,18 onto workers' prepaid electricity bills (based on a 350kWh consumption),” he said.

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March 2025 Household Affordability Index: rising food prices and their impact