food
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Description: The monthly cost of a basket of food that a low-income South African household of seven people typically tries to buy each month. The basket was designed by the Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice & Dignity Group (PMBEJD) with women living on low incomes, based on the foods and quantities they say they aim to secure. It contains 44 food items. It reflects what households actually buy under tight budgets, not an ideal diet, and is not nutritionally complete. Women shoppers collect the prices from the supermarkets and butcheries that serve low-income areas, and it reflects their choices in switching to cheaper brands or stores in order to find specials, meaning the data represents what households really pay each month. This data is published monthly as part of the Household Affordability Index.
Last updated: 15 October 2026
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The National Agricultural Marketing Council (NAMC) compiles a monthly 28-item urban food basket. The basket includes 8 category groups: beans, coffee and tea, dairy and eggs, fats and oils, fruit, animal protein, bread and cereals, vegetables, and sugary foods. The dataset includes real values of the NAMC Food Basket for each of the 28 items, as well as the total real value of the basket. It also includes the total nominal basket value for comparison.
Last updated: 12 November 2026
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