From shoplifting to watered-down formula — desperate new moms and SA’s malnutrition crisis

The Household Affordability Index shows that the average cost to feed a child a nutritious diet is R973,25 per month. Mothers sacrifice their own nutrition needs to feed their children, and if they can't afford enough food for themselves, they may not be able to produce milk for their infants. (Photo: Heat Magazine, Caxtons, Ramsay Son & Parker and Associated Magazine Group / Gallo Images)

By Lillian Roberts

26 May 2025

New mothers struggling to make ends meet dilute baby formula with water, and new moms are more likely to suffer from acute malnutrition than when they were pregnant, results from community outreach programmes show.

In South Africa there aren’t recent studies that show what is frequently shoplifted. It is assumed that alcohol, confectionary items, baby formula and food, nappies, baby clothes, meat, cheese and dairy products and toiletries are often stolen.

Prices for baby formula have risen in recent years. It costs roughly R1,500 per month. The cheapest ends up being R890 (Infacare 1). This does not account for milk needed, Milton or Jik to clean bottles, bottles, cream, nappies, clothes and transport to the clinic.

The large baby formula tins across all retailers have been observed to be under a “lock”, or shops keep the baby food products behind a counter.

“The security tag is designed specifically for cylindrical or tin-shaped items and acts as a deterrent by securing the product in a lockable casing. This casing can only be removed at till point using a detacher, much like conventional security tags used on clothing or electronics,” the Shoprite group told Daily Maverick.

“Security tags are typically applied to higher-value, high-risk items based on theft trends observed.”

The company did not respond to the question of what is most shoplifted, how rates of shoplifting have changed, what the baby formula shoplifting rates are or what spurred the Shoprite chain to begin locking up baby formula. None of the other chains, including Pick n Pay and Clicks, responded to requests for comment.

South African crime statistics show 9,833 shoplifting incidents from October to December 2024, 27% less than the same period in the previous year. Instances stay relatively stable, from about 10,000 to 13,000 over the years.

National Child Protection Week (29 May to June 5) raises awareness of the rights of children as articulated in the Constitution and the Children’s Act 38 of 2005.

Realities of raising children

Marion Beeforth, the project manager at Well Being Africa, a maternal and infant NGO, said South African families are separated over provinces due to work, with single-parent families being predominant.

Formula is often introduced at 11 to 14 weeks, Beeforth said. To keep stomachs full, foods such as potatoes and porridge starches are added. Fieldworkers at Well Being Africa had seen bottles diluted by water, or mothers giving bottles less frequently.

“From data provided by the Grow Great campaign, focused on halving the rate of stunting by 2030, we know that moms opt to give babies who are six months or older foods like grains, roots, tubers, soft porridge, pap, water, juice and tea,” said David Harrison, CEO of the DG Murray Trust (DGMT).

Grow Great community health workers had also seen formula watered down and mothers sacrificing their own food.

“We have seen disturbing early results from community outreach programmes that new moms are more likely to suffer from acute malnutrition than when they were pregnant,” Harrison said.

“Some mothers breastfeed and then, instead of introducing a complementary diet that consists of starch, iron and vitamin A-rich food, [the] infant only has breastmilk and porridge or other starch foods.”

“When the prices of core foods increase, families are forced to sacrifice protein-rich items like meat, eggs, peanut butter, maas and dairy,” said Harrison, citing DGMT’s implementing partner, Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice and Dignity (PMBEJ).

The barriers to breastfeeding

Grandmothers often do not have IDs. Families struggle to pay for two generations of IDs so the grandchild can receive the Child Support Grant, so children miss out on months of benefiting from the grant, Beeforth explained.

“For foreigners there is no grant, and the struggle is sometimes even more, as money is also sent home for the care of older children.

“The environment is not supporting mothers to breastfeed,” she emphasised. “Having a stable five-day job in the informal job market is often not available after giving birth. A domestic worker soon finds someone else is in her job, same for retail staff, hourly employed or short-term contracts.”

Formula was introduced when mothers sought jobs, but the job paid for formula and very little else. Between nappies and infant feeding, the R560 grant fell short for most families.

“We know from the Household Affordability Index, published by PMBEJ, that the average cost to feed a child a basic nutritious diet was R973,25 in April 2025, which is 74% more than the Child Support Grant of R560,” Harrison said.

new mothers malnutrition The Household Affordability Index shows that the average cost to feed a child a nutritious diet is R973,25 per month. Mothers sacrifice their own nutrition needs to feed their children, and if they can’t afford enough food for themselves, they may not be able to produce milk for their infants. (Photo: Heat Magazine, Caxtons, Ramsay Son & Parker and Associated Magazine Group / Gallo Images)

To counter this, a basket of basic protein-rich staples needed to be made more affordable through a joint effort between the government and food retailers.

“What about the transport money for monthly clinic visits for immunisation and growth monitoring? Once the child reaches 18 months, most parents stop clinic visits and the necessary vitamin A and deworming for optimal growth fall behind,” Beeforth said.

“With global profit margins exceeding 20%, the South African government should cap the manufacturer and retail margins on infant formula at 10%, still a sufficient incentive for stores to stock it. At the same time we must keep communicating that breastmilk is far better than any infant formula,” Harrison emphasised.

How breastfeeding curbs malnutrition

“Moms who are breastfeeding often have higher energy needs, and if they can’t afford enough food they may struggle to produce enough milk or continue breastfeeding,” Harrison said. “This raises the risk of early malnutrition in their newborns, which, if persistent, can lead to stunting.”

Clinics refer malnourished children to hospitals. Once the child returns home, follow-ups are needed to prevent a relapse, Beeforth explained. It was costly for families to visit a child in hospital or for mothers to arrange care for older children.

“The spotlight should again fall on making a healthy diet affordable during conception, pregnancy and throughout the life cycle. Eating less ultra-processed food is desirable for the whole family, yet it seems to be the most affordable.

“Breastfeeding is essential as the only food in the first six months. How can we achieve this?” Through maternity leave, mothers and babies staying together during this period, and supporting mothers to express milk, Beeforth said.

“It should be achievable. Yet, the influence of the marketing formula and job environment and policies further eroded the breastfeeding culture among even the populations who had high breastfeeding rates,” she opined. DM

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South Africa

Realities of raising children

The barriers to breastfeeding

How breastfeeding curbs malnutrition