Childhood stunting is also stunting South Africa's economy

Mail & Guardian

02-06-2025

More than a quarter of South African children under the age of five are chronically malnourished. That's bad for them, their families and the economy. (Envato)
Make a list of the country's 10 priorities for national development. Now whittle them down to five. Does your shortlist include giving children enough nutritious food to eat? If not, you're missing an essential part of what countries need to grow their economies. Children who are well nourished and ready to learn, grow up to be skilled and productive workers that drive economic growth.
South Africa has a stubbornly high stunting rate; if a child is too short for their age, it is an indication of chronic malnutrition.
Despite tough economic circumstances, we can make a huge difference to child nutrition. Peru halved its rate of stunting among children in
Make proteins cheaper
The
The body can convert excess carbohydrates into some amino acids — the building blocks of protein — but it can't produce nine amino acids that are essential for normal growth. Child obesity among poorer children is often linked to a shortage of protein as cash-strapped parents buy cheaper processed foods and starches. This is why we are seeing an increase in the percentage of children who are
All of society — government, business, civil society and trade unions — must unite to make a basket of protein-rich staples far more affordable.
Another protein-rich food that must be made more affordable is infant formula. Globally, the profit margin on infant formula is north of
This suggestion may sit uncomfortably with some, who might view it as undermining the message that 'breast is best'. The reality is that over half of all
Make sure minerals and vitamins are added to food
Micronutrients are vitamins and minerals —
An effective way of making sure children are getting enough micronutrients is to add them to food staples like maize meal and wheat flour, and
Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition
found that 83% of maize meal in Gauteng and 69% in the Eastern Cape was unfortified or insufficiently fortified. Stricter enforcement should improve compliance, but it would be better if industry just did it without constant policing.
There are other effective strategies to supplement micronutrients during pregnancy and the first two years of life. Instead of giving pregnant mothers iron and folate pills during pregnancy, they should get 15 different minerals and vitamins combined in one daily pill. This approach
Among at-risk children aged six months to 24 months, small quantity lipid nutrient supplements (SQ-LNS)
Healthy food for pregnant women
Babies born with a birth weight below 2 500g, a Western Cape survey published in 2023 has shown, are
The Western Cape government recently
Community health workers
Countries that have significantly reduced stunting have one thing in common: they can
Community health workers (CHWs) are best placed to spot this problem because they visit families regularly, but they are not provided with basic scales to measure weight. Instead, they are issued with coloured tapes to measure
Limit the advertising of unhealthy foods
Parents want what is best for their children. However, the messages they are most exposed to are not from advocates of healthy living but from the Big Food industry which often encourages eating habits that lead to high blood pressure and diabetes in adulthood. The government should convene a meeting of the dominant food players to forge an agreement towards a healthier nation, which should include constraints on the advertising of unhealthy foods.
The five objectives outlined above are attainable even in a cash-constrained environment, but they won't happen without leadership and coordination. The National Food and Nutrition Council is yet to be constituted, but even if it were, its decisions would still need to be rolled out by departmental officials who are relatively junior in the government hierarchy.
Good nutrition is so vital to socioeconomic progress that consideration should be given to appointing a 'nutrition czar' with enough authority to drive a strong national programme that could reset the country's trajectory of development over the next decade.
David Harrison is a medical doctor and chief executive of the
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