On 16 October 2014 the world celebrated World Food Day, which has become a global campaign to raise awareness around food insecurity. This global call to end hunger will resonate strongly with many South Africans who continue to go to bed without food in their stomachs.

Many experts have commented on why South Africa, as a middle-income country, cannot feed its own. What is more interesting is that South Africa, despite having many people who go to bed hungry, is considered as a food-secure nation (International Food Policy Research Institute, 2014). But what does this mean to a layman? Who controls this food? Among the answers that have emerged in this debate has been the rise in the cost of living, and, more importantly, the cost of basic needs. In an effort to provide this discussion with empirical data, the Studies in Poverty and Inequality Institute (SPII) are happy to announce that the Basic Needs Basket (BNB), a flagship project of the institute, is back.

Read  more  Download full PDF Document SPII Talk November 2014