South Africa’s food system is failing children - what must change
South Africa is facing a critical child malnutrition crisis that is causing long-term developmental and health issues. Despite the country producing a food surplus, systemic failures continue to drive an intergenerational cycle of poverty and illness.
Why it matters
The persistence of child stunting and malnutrition highlights a failure in public health and social policy, threatening the future human capital of the nation.
Many children live in areas where access to nutritious food is limited. Scrolla https://theconversation.com/south-africas-food-system-is-failing-children-what-must-change-287198 https://theconversation.com/south-africas-food-system-is-failing-children-what-must-change-287198 Link copied Share article Share article
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Child malnutrition in South Africa casts a long shadow across the life course. For example, stunting or being short for their age compromises children’s physical growth and their brain development in ways that limit their education and employment prospects.
Stunted and overweight children are both at greater risk of developing noncommunicable diseases such as obesity, diabetes and hypertension. These conditions are placing a huge – and growing – burden on South Africa’s healthcare system.
In this way, child malnutrition helps to drive an intergenerational cycle of poverty and ill health that comes at great cost to individual children, their families and South African society.
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