The BFAP Thrifty Healthy Food Basket (THFB) measures the cost of basic healthy eating for low-income households in the South African context. The methodology considers national nutrition guidelines, typical food intake patterns of lower-income households, official Stats SA food retail prices and typical household demographics. Consisting of a nutritionally balanced combination of 26 food items from all the food groups, the BFAP THFB is designed to feed a reference family of four (consisting of an adult male, an adult female, an older and a younger child) for a month. The BFAP THFB comprises a smaller staple component and relatively more items from food groups contributing to dietary diversity than the CPI index. The CPI index is more reflective of ‘typical’ food preferences.
International overview Major drivers of food inflation internationally include high agricultural commodity prices, exacerbated by challenging weather conditions, supply chain disruptions and rising energy prices. In January 2022, the FAO Food Price Index, a measure of underlying agricultural commodity prices, increased by 1% from December 2021. In real terms, the index has surpassed the previous highs of 2011 since October 2021. While the latest increase is modest, prices typically softened in January following the festive season. These global factors have driven inflation higher in many parts of the world and in January 2022 (as in December 2021) food inflation in South African was lower than the food inflation rates reported for Zambia, Kenya, Brazil and the USA
