The food consumption habits of cash-strapped South Africans

If South Africans felt they were already in a perilous financial position at the end of 2019, they were in for a particularly nasty shock, as COVID-19 arrived soon thereafter. Figures provided by Statistics South Africa show that the unemployment rate in the country reached an all-time high of 30,8% in the third quarter of 2020.

According to market research provider Euromonitor International (Euromonitor), 68,3% of South Africans in 2019 had an annual disposable income of less than US$2 500 (about R36 800). In 2020, and largely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this figure increased to an estimated 70,1% of the population. Moreover, South African consumers are likely to be particularly cash-strapped during 2021, and this will have a profound impact on their food purchasing and consumption behaviour. This is according to Dr Hester Vermeulen and Dr Marlene Louw,