Supermarkets are making you fat

YOU are what you eat — and in South Africa, the country’s biggest supermarkets are pushing unhealthy options, shaping diets at home and risking a continent-wide obesity crisis as their influence spreads across Africa.

South Africans now have an adult obesity rate of 30.8%, nearly three times higher than the Sub-Saharan African average of 11.4%, studies show, and their purchases are influenced by what’s cheapest, most visible, and most promoted on supermarket shelves, leading them to buy cheap, ultra-processed foods.

The Access to Nutrition Initiative (ATNi), a Netherlands-based global foundation, analysed Shoprite, Pick n Pay, and Spar as part of a wider six-country study that also included the US, France, Kenya, Indonesia and the Philippines.

It found that across these countries, sugary drinks, snacks, and ready-to-eat meals dominate 50% to 80% of featured promotions, while fruit, vegetables, and legumes are barely featured, underscoring how diets are shaped by retail incentives, not just culture.

ATNi’s South Africa Retail Assessment 2025, which evaluated how leading food retailers influence access to nutritious and affordable foods, found that in South Africa, healthier food baskets are roughly 30% more expensive than less-healthy ones.

Executive Director Greg Garrett warns that the country’s nutrition challenges are worsened by the cost-of-living crisis, with cost and corporate strategy shaping what South Africans put on their plates.

“With only about 30% of products classified as healthier and 70% unhealthy, and the least healthy baskets being the cheapest, people naturally gravitate toward those options. Over time, this places a strain on the healthcare system, because these foods are generally low in micronutrients.”

The ATNi study analysed 3 496 private-label products across the three retailers, showing that most failed the nutritional criteria to be classified as healthy.

Only 37% of assessed products met the Health Star Rating threshold of 3.5 or higher to be classified as ‘healthier’, while roughly 87% were deemed unhealthy when combining foods high in fat, salt, or sugar with ultra-processed food markers such as colourants, flavours, or non-nutritive sweeteners.

Promotions in all three chains tell a similar story, with the report indicating that less than a quarter of flyer space is dedicated to healthier products, while refined grains, snacks, sweets, and sugar-sweetened beverages dominate their marketing — a pattern mirrored internationally, where such products account for 50% to 80% of featured promotions across multiple markets.

Spar had the highest share of unhealthy items (67%), followed by Shoprite (62%) and Pick n Pay (53%). Among private-label offerings, Shoprite led in healthier options with 41%, Pick n Pay followed at 38%, and Spar trailed at 28%.

Experts warn that these items fall short of recommended public-health guidelines, which could have long-term implications for purchasing habits, population health, and healthcare costs.

Public-health experts say the problem isn’t just about individual choices but embedded in the system, and while South Africa has policies in place, it lags in implementing them.

Yolanda Radu, senior researcher at the SAMRC/Wits Centre for Health Economics and Decision Science (PRICELESS SA), says structural features of the food environment shape what is available and accessible to the public.

She argues that unhealthy diets contribute billions in direct healthcare costs and longer-term productivity losses, and have implications for the sustainability of South Africa’s planned National Health Insurance.

“Retailers’ promotional practices and product portfolios skew heavily toward unhealthy foods,” she notes. “Draft R337 (labelling regulation), which introduces nutrient profiling, front-of-pack warning labels, and marketing restrictions, could be a game changer if implemented. Similarly, the health promotion levy on sugar-sweetened beverages has already shown positive results but requires adjustment to its recommended 20% level,” said Radu.

Experts say that while Shoprite/Checkers, Pick n Pay, and Spar reference nutrition in ESG and corporate strategy agendas, in reality, what’s on the shelves implies that product portfolios, promotions, and pricing still overwhelmingly favour less-healthy options, highlighting a gap between commitments and delivery.

Katherine Pittore, director of policy and communications at ATNi, said South Africa offers a unique window into how modern retail is reshaping diets across the continent. “South Africa is a bellwether for Africa, with very high levels of supermarketisation. Major chains are expanding into neighbouring countries, and we’re likely to see their influence on diets across Southern Africa.”

Pittore said that the country faces a triple burden of malnutrition — food insecurity, child stunting, and rising obesity — at the same time as the rise in non-communicable diseases.

With about 80% of South Africans buying food from modern retailers, far higher than in countries such as Kenya or Indonesia, she said what happens in South Africa’s stores could shape dietary trends elsewhere over the next decade.

She warned that as South African retailers expand across the continent, the unhealthy diets will follow. “We see similar trends in Kenya, where supermarket penetration is rapidly increasing and obesity rates are climbing. While our study focused on South Africa, Kenya, and selected other countries, it’s reasonable to expect that other African nations with expanding modern retail will follow a similar trajectory over the next 5 to 20 years. What happens here now, both in terms of product availability and consumer habits — could shape the continent’s dietary future,” said Pittore.

In its response to the Independent on Saturday this week, Pick n Pay said it remains committed to continuous improvement and supporting healthier choices for its customers, while carefully balancing affordability, access, and customer choice. The organisation said that a decade ago, it was among the first retailers to champion a healthy food programme for consumers. In addition, since 2017, it has been contributing to the Healthy Food Options Industry Initiative (HFOII), a voluntary initiative to improve public health by increasing the availability, affordability, and marketing of healthier, nutritious foods, aimed at curbing non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like obesity and diabetes by encouraging reduced salt, sugar, and fat in products.

Pick n Pay, for example, uses its LiveWell Club to encourage nudge healthier choices: customers earn triple Smart Shopper points on over 1,000 LiveWell-approved products and get 15% off on frequently purchased items, showing how pricing and rewards can actively shape diets.

“Pick n Pay has always supported and actively promoted healthier food choices, and this showed with the report highlighting how we have demonstrated the most developed approach to nutrition. We have expanded access to healthier food across our store network and invested in our PnP Live Well private-label range, which meets strict criteria for lower salt, sugar, and saturated fat.”

Spar welcomed the ATNi Retail Assessment report as part of an important national conversation about improving diet quality while maintaining affordability for South African households. The retailer said its private-label products comply with current South African legislation and are sourced from accredited suppliers who meet stringent food safety standards. Food safety and regulatory compliance are non-negotiable priorities for SPAR.

“In line with national requirements, SPAR has undertaken reformulation initiatives where necessary, including adjustments aligned to sodium reduction regulations and the Health Promotion Levy (HPL). We continuously review our private-label portfolio to ensure alignment with evolving regulatory frameworks and public health priorities.”

Nutrition oversight, said Spar, formed part of its broader governance and sustainability structures, including monitoring legislative compliance, supplier accreditation, and internal product standards.

Shoprite/Checkers and the Department of Health comment was still outstanding at the time of print.