Four in 10 Mother City households go hungry – survey

A survey has revealed that four out of 10 households in Cape Town’s poor areas go without food at least once a week.

The Cape Times reported that in Khayelitsha and Philippi, fewer than one in 10 households were “food secure” and in Ocean View, three out of 10 were “food secure”.

Food secure households are those with access to enough nutritious food to lead a healthy lifestyle.

The research was compiled by the University of Cape Town’s African Food Security Urban Network, which sampled 1 060 households.

Researchers found food prices were outstripping the inflation rate. The city’s richer inhabitants could cut food prices by buying in bulk at supermarkets.

According to the report, poorer residents faced problems including the increasing cost of electricity for cooking, lack of access to refrigeration, the cost of public transport to shops and the amount of food which could be carried on these modes of transport.

- Sapa