HUNGER FOR ACTION: No more ‘business as usual’ — experts sound warning on SA’s lapsed food plan
Speakers at a Daily Maverick webinar hunkered down to examine South Africa’s dormant National Food and Nutrition Security Plan, outlining key priorities its next iteration should include to realise the right to sufficient and nutritious food for all.
South Africa's dormant National Food and Nutrition Security Plan has come under scrutiny at a Daily Maverick webinar, with experts highlighting the urgent need for a fresh approach to address hunger and malnutrition. The last plan, approved in 2012, has been inactive since 2023 and its replacement remains in draft form without a budget or implementation strategy.
Current statistics show that 9.4 million South Africans went hungry in 2025 and 22% of households lacked adequate food access. Furthermore, 27% of children suffer from stunting, and over 450 children under five died in public hospitals due to malnutrition in the first nine months of 2020. The webinar, titled "Hungry in a Land of Plenty: What SA’s Food Plan got Wrong," focused on the key priorities that the next plan should include to guarantee sufficient and nutritious food for all.
Written by urgent.news from Daily Maverick's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
