Food price hikes: shop around for bargains on basics

As the battle for a bargain basket of staple goods continues for most households on a budget, the actual cost of basics in July was slightly cheaper than in June, but the price difference between the cheapest and most expensive chains is looming larger than ever.

Yet again Makro has emerged as the most affordable, with Woolworths topping the charts at R84 more expensive on a basket of 12 basic staple items, according to the monthly barometer recorded by independent publication The Outlier, which specialises in using data to create public service stories.

The Outlier has recorded the itemised costs of a basket of basic staples from the country’s mainstream supermarket chains Woolworths, Spar, Checkers, Shoprite, Pick ‘n Pay, Boxer, Makro and Food Lovers’ Market.

This month Makro has again emerged as the most affordable supplier of 12 basic staple items, while Woolworths has come out as the most expensive. (The Outlier)

The trolley of 12 tracked items includes:

700g loaf of Albany Superior sliced white bread, or store brand;
2-litre sunflower oil (cheapest option);
2.5kg Iwisa maize meal;
2.5kg Selati white sugar;
2-litre milk (cheapest option);
2kg Tastic rice;
2.5kg Snowflake cake flour;
175g bar of Dettol herbal soap;
500g Fatti’s & Moni’s spaghetti, or store brand;
400g Black Cat smooth peanut butter;
1kg Jungle oats; and
100 Joko tagless tea bags.

The price of two litres of sunflower cooking oil varies vastly across eight supermarket chains. (The Outlier)

While a fluctuation in grocery prices is normal, this month the huge difference in pricing has been attributed to the cost of sunflower oil, with the price of a single 2l bottle ranging from R54.95 for Sunpick at Makro to R109.99 for Sunfoil at SuperSpar. The average cost for the entire basket remains about R480.

In July, Woolworths — which for the past few months has consistently rated as one of the cheapest stockists of staples — was the most expensive at R510.88, while the other seven all came in at under R500.

The large range in the prices saw Makro’s basket price decreasing by a substantial R24.09, while Spar’s increased by R14.

The main factor driving this gap, it seems, is the cost of sunflower cooking oil. At Makro, oil in July was R15 cheaper than in June. At Woolworths, sunflower oil increased by R7, which accounts for the R8 increase in the overall basket price.

The cost of maize meal varies across brands and supermarkets. (The Outlier)

Cake flour was one of the causes for Spar’s basket price increase, with a bag costing R39.99 in June, and R49.99 in July.

Another price difference was noted on two other basic items — sugar and maize meal. The cheapest 2.5kg bag of white sugar was Food Lover’s Market’s store brand, which cost R44.99. This was followed by a packet of Huletts-branded sugar at Woolworths for R53.99.

The price of sugar has gone up in general, but deals can be found if you shop around. (The Outlier)

The cheapest 2.5kg pack of maize meal was Shibobo found at Boxer for R31.99. This was R18 cheaper than Pick n Pay’s Pride maize meal which was the priciest at R49.99.

Key data from the July 2023 Household Affordability Index, which tracks food price data from 47 supermarkets and 32 butcheries, in Johannesburg, Durban, Cape Town, Pietermaritzburg, Mtubatuba in northern KwaZulu-Natal, and Springbok in the Northern Cape showed a slight increase in the cost of a household food basket.

Foods that increased by more than 5% in the past month were: butternut (the largest hike at 14%), potatoes, white sugar, salt, curry powder, eggs, beef liver, fish, green peppers, Cremora, apples and polony.

The Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice & Dignity lobby group, which fights against the country’s high economic inequality and low baseline wages, this month reported that a basic nutrition basket for a family of four decreased in price in Durban, Springbok, Pietermaritzburg and Mtubatuba, while food prices went up in Joburg and Cape Town.

TimesLIVE