Thirty children die from malnutrition every day in South Africa. This horrifying statistic was published by the Daily Maverick in a report on the campaign by Union against Hunger during last month’s Food Justice Week.
The statistic gives added meaning to official reports showing rising levels of poverty and hunger, and predictions of worse to come because of the impact of weather changes and higher energy prices on food production and food prices.
Nearly 29% of children under five are stunted due to chronic malnutrition, and an estimated 10,000 children die every year from malnutrition and malnutrition-related diseases, according to Mark Heywood, co-founder of the Union Against Hunger, the publication reported.
“That is 30 children per day in our rich country with its advanced food system,” Heywood said.
Stunting is caused by malnutrition and is therefore preventable. FairPlay has campaigned for years for additional measures to help poor families provide their children with a nutritious diet.
One way to do this would be the approval of VAT-free chicken – removing the 15% value added tax (VAT) from the chicken portions most consumed by poor households. Although chicken contains the vitamins and minerals that children need, the government has consistently resisted this move.
