Observed annually on 16 October, World Food Day provides an important opportunity to reflect on the global challenge of hunger and the collective responsibility to build food systems that uphold human dignity. In South Africa, where hunger persists alongside the country’s abundant food production capacity, the realisation of the right to food requires sustained attention to the structural, economic and institutional factors that determine who can access food, at what cost, and under what conditions.

The Commission’s National Food Systems Inquiry was initiated in response to complaints received, which highlighted persistent barriers to access to adequate food.

The first leg of the Inquiry, held in March 2026, examined a range of issues affecting South Africa’s food systems, including the structural dynamics and economic factors that perpetuate hunger and systemic exclusions, despite national food sufficiency; the concentration and distribution of power in the food value chain; the link between land access, tenure security, and food insecurity, especially for women, smallholder, and communal farmers; the role of indigenous knowledge systems, traditional seed practices, and agroecology in achieving food security and resilience; and the role of civic participation, public accountability, and social movements in advancing the right to food.

The second leg, convened from 6 to 10 July 2026, sought to deepen the Commission’s engagement with private-sector actors across the food value chain, including input distributors, farmers, agri lobby groups, processors, and retailers.

As the Commission advances its work, the third leg will further interrogate the role of major retailers, including supermarkets, in South Africa’s food system. This phase will contribute to a closer examination of market concentration, pricing dynamics, food affordability and the influence of large retailers over the distribution and accessibility of food.

A renewed call for supermarket participation

In preparation for the third leg, the Commission is renewing its engagement with supermarkets and other relevant retail-sector stakeholders, particularly those that did not participate in the second leg of the Inquiry.

The Commission considers the participation of these stakeholders important to ensuring that the Inquiry benefits from a broad and balanced evidentiary record. Meaningful engagement with the retail sector will enable the Commission to better understand the operational, commercial and structural considerations that shape food pricing, supplier relationships and consumer access.

The date of the third leg of the inquiry, together with the final programme and venue, will be announced soon.

ENDS