Consumer Economics News Publications


Food Inflation Brief – October 2021

This report gives an overview of food inflation dynamics, its associated causes and the cost of basic healthy eating for October 2021.

  • Inflation on food and non-alcoholic beverages for October 2021 was 6.1%, showing a slight moderation from September levels.
  • Among food categories, oils / fats (+20.9% year-on-year), meat (+9.1%) and vegetables (+7.2%) exhibited the most significant inflation.
  • Main driving forces of food inflation continued to include high global commodity prices and rising input costs.
  • High meat prices are mainly driven by constrained supplies due to herd rebuilding and high feed costs.
  • High vegetable oil prices are mainly attributed to competing demand from feedstock for biofuel, rising crude oil prices, supply constraints over the past year in key global production areas and dramatically rising shipping costs.
  • The cost of the BFAP Thrifty Healthy Food Basket amounted to R2 931 in October 2021 for the reference family of 2 adults and 2 children.

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