South Africa’s childhood nutrition crisis reflects the enduring legacy of economic and social inequalities, with 23% of children classified in severe child food poverty and approximately 27% of children under five stunted due to chronic malnutrition. Malnutrition in South Africa is not merely a health issue but a manifestation of systemic inequality, with an estimated 2.5 million children under five found in households below the food poverty line, creating what scholars have termed “the slow violence of hunger” that disproportionately affects communities still bearing the economic scars of historical exclusion.
Just one example of a community facing these issues is found in the historic Lynedoch Valley in Stellenbosch and is why the Sustainability Institute works tirelessly with funders and an exceptional Nourish team to develop and create meals that can feed the hearts, bodies and minds of the children who attend the on-site schools.
With the help of the Jannie Mouton Foundation, the StartWell Foundation has partnered with the Sustainability Institute to provide nutrient dense porridge for breakfast. This year our funding was generously increased to boost the current school menu offering. We currently serve 120 meals each day and now the menus have an increased daily RDA intake.
The importance of RDA
The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) represents the average daily nutrient intake level that meets the nutritional requirements of nearly all (97-98%) healthy individuals in a specific age and gender group. For children, RDAs are particularly critical because they’re established to support not just basic physiological functions, but the additional demands of rapid growth and development.
During childhood, RDAs account for the increased energy and nutrient needs required for building new tissues, developing organs, and supporting cognitive development. Children have proportionally higher metabolic rates than adults and require more nutrients per kilogramme of body weight, especially for protein, calcium, iron, and essential vitamins. The RDAs are age-specific because nutritional needs change dramatically as children grow. A toddler’s needs for protein are significantly different from those of an adolescent experiencing a growth spurt.
When children consistently consume below RDA levels, it can result in stunted growth, delayed cognitive development, weakened immune systems, and increased susceptibility to infections. This is particularly concerning in the South African context, where many children from impoverished households cannot access the quantity or quality of food needed to meet these nutritional benchmarks. The gap between RDA requirements and actual intake becomes a measurable indicator of nutritional deprivation, helping explain why chronic malnutrition manifests as stunting and evident across vulnerable communities.
Enhancing the daily RDA intake to 98%
These facts have guided the redevelopment of the menu at the school and the funding from the Jannie Mouton Foundation has enabled the Nourish programme to re-design the menus and include a much-loved meat option in all the meals.
The new meals are beef ”potjie” stew with vegetables, wild herbs and millet; free-range beef mince stir fry with green pepper, wild herbs, sea pumpkin and noodles; creamy pilchard pasta with wholegrain pasta, tomatoes, fresh herbs and dune spinach; pulled chicken wholewheat pasta with dune spinach, basil, cherry tomatoes, feta cheese and an olive oil & garlic vinaigrette; chicken broth casserole with kale, celery, carrots and wholegrain rice.
In addition to this the children get snacks of dates and nuts, plus a piece of fruit per day. Breakfast is made from StartWell Porridge and on a Friday, we provide additional scrambled eggs as a late morning snack and a much-needed protein boost for the weekend.
The new meals and snacks combined now boasts a whopping 98% RDA average in terms of the macro nutrients protein, carbohydrates, healthy fats and fibre.
The Local Wild Food Hub at the Sustainability Institute has an on-site garden that cultivates indigenous edibles and to our amazement we found that the indigenous plants we tested were higher overall in most of the critical micro-nutrients like Vitamin A, Zinc, Iron, Vitamin C, Calcium and Magnesium than traditional vegetables. Due to this we could confidently include a lot of indigenous plants in the meals like Dune Spinach, Sea Pumpkin, Wild Rosemary and Wild Sage, giving the children an additional boost in much needed micro-nutrients.
Proper nutrition aid growth, wellness and development
Proper nutrition is crucial for primary school-aged children, supporting their physical growth, brain development, and overall well-being. A balanced diet rich in essential nutrients helps children maintain a healthy weight, improves their ability to concentrate and learn in school, strengthens their immune system, and reduces the risk of chronic diseases later in life. Furthermore, good nutrition can positively impact children’s behaviour, emotional regulation, and self-esteem, setting them up for a healthier and more successful future.
And the results are clear in terms of improved energy in the little ones as well as great excitement at mealtimes knowing they are going to be served delicious food that helps them feel nourished, warm and energetic to be at school. We have generally noticed that their concentration has improved and their overall eagerness to participate in their school day has also improved.
Sources:
- UNICEF South Africa. (2024). Child Poverty in South Africa: A Multiple Overlapping Deprivation Analysis. UNICEF.
- Statistics South Africa. (2023). General Household Survey 2022. Stats SA.
- De Waal, A. (2018). Mass Starvation: The History and Future of Famine. Polity Press.