LOWER ESSENTIAL FOOD PRICES TO HELP END HUNGER

The Union Against Hunger is a coalition of individuals and organisations fighting to end hunger in South Africa.

We believe unprecedented levels of hunger and malnutrition in children are a national crisis. Twenty million people experience hunger. Over 10,000 children die directly or indirectly due to malnutrition. Chronic and debilitating stunting by the age of five is nearly 30%.

These are just statistics. Behind every number is an individual and/or a family suffering pain, illness, indignity, anxiety and even death because they are unable to access something as fundamental to life as food.

We agree, there are a number of factors behind this horrible and untenable situation, including poverty and mass unemployment. But, we believe that in this context, a huge public responsibility falls on those who sell the essential food needed by every person to act fairly, responsibly, ethically and to recognise public needs, rather than just the hunger for profits of shareholders.

We are marching today because our Constitution says everyone has a right to sufficient food and that every child should have their basic nutritional needs met.

We are marching because we believe that Shoprite Checkers is violating that right by not selling essential foods at prices that are affordable to the majority of people who need to eat. Instead it is profiteering and setting excessive prices, whilst paying many of its workers starvation wages.

This is corporate irresponsibility.

Shoprite is not guilty of this alone. But we are focussing on you because the facts show that: 

• Shoprite makes unjustifiable profits, reported to be R20 million a day in 2024. 
• Shoprite pays low salaries to staff and excessive salaries to bosses. It has the highest level of income inequality of the top 40 companies on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE).  
• Shoprite has the largest low and no income customer base. Many of your consumer’s only income is meagre social grants that cumulatively inject billions of rands into your market. Studies indicate that food is the primary expenditure for most social grant beneficiaries, money that should not be exploited for excessive profits.

We think this business model is immoral as well as unlawful. 

In the context of a hunger crisis Corporate Social Investment (CSI) is not sufficient. Whilst we acknowledge and welcome the programmes Shoprite is involved in supporting, we believe that you are capable of much more. In fact that you are morally and legally obliged to do more.

We appeal to you to do the right thing.

• Waive profits and lower prices on a basket of essential foods.
• Engage with experts and nutritionists to decide what foods are included in this basket.
• Raise the salaries of your lowest paid employees to an acceptable minimum wage.

The Union Against Hunger puts people’s fundamental needs and rights first. We urge you to become a genuine partner and leader in the campaign against hunger.