A new costed food basket shows that government’s R9.60-a-day ECD nutrition allocation falls short of the cost of providing young children with balanced meals.
South Africa is testing a new way to put a price tag on nutrition in early childhood care, as health experts warn that young children face a double burden of undernourishment and rising obesity. The Early Childhood Development Nationally Costed Nutrition Basket, developed by the Zero2Five Trust, the Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice and Dignity Group and dietician Philippa Barnard, is intended to turn national feeding guidance into a practical tool that can be planned, purchased and monitored in real terms. According to the organisations behind it, the project is being launched as the country marks National Nutrition Week under the theme “Creating Healthy Food Environments for Better Nutrition”.
The basket is designed to answer a question that has long been difficult for centres and policymakers alike: what does it actually cost to feed young children well while they are in ECD care? Rather than starting with what a centre can afford, the model begins with the nutrition children need and then works backwards to the menu, the quantities and the price. The result, according to the group, is a defined food requirement built around fortified staples, vegetables, fruit, legumes, eggs, tinned fish, milk and maas, healthy fats and other basic foods, with room for substitutions where local options can meet the same nutritional purpose.
Pilot costing carried out in September 2026 put the food bill at R7.35 a day for children aged nine to 23 months and R13.06 a day for those aged two to six years, with a weighted average of R11.92 for an illustrative 20-child centre. On that basis, monthly food costs for the example centre came to R4,768.47, assuming attendance of 20 days. The figures also expose a gap between the basket and the government’s current ECD nutrition allocation of R9.60 a child a day. PMBEJD says a fully subsidised centre using the example model would still face a food ingredient shortfall of about R928 a month, while a centre with 70% subsidy coverage would be left with a gap of roughly R2,080.
The organisations behind the basket stress that the calculation covers food ingredients only and does not include labour, fuel, water, cleaning supplies, storage or equipment. They say the next phase will involve monthly price monitoring from October 2026, so the cost of the same food basket can be tracked as prices change. The project draws on PMBEJD’s experience tracking food costs through its Household Affordability Index, while Barnard led the menu design, nutritional analysis and costing. In the broader policy context, Business Day reported in February that the government increased ECD funding over three years and kept the nutrition share of the daily subsidy at R9.60, underlining why a clearer view of real food costs could matter for centres serving vulnerable children.
Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical judgment, advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
