Saturday Star Reporter|Published
Health experts say that South Africa has high rates of undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, and a rapidly rising rate of overweight and obesity.
To address this, Zero2Five Trust, Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice and Dignity Group (PMBEJD) and public health nutrition consultant and registered dietician Philippa Barnard are launching the Early Childhood Development Nationally Costed Nutrition Basket (ECD Nutrition Basket).
It's a useful tool designed to address a difficult-to-quantify question, as South Africa commemorated National Nutrition Week with the theme "Creating Healthy Food Environments for Better Nutrition".
What does it actually cost to provide nutritious food to young children while they are in ECD care?
The ECD Nutrition Basket translates existing national nutrition guidance into a defined food requirement that can be planned, purchased, prepared, quantified, costed and monitored over time. It is designed to bridge the gap between what nutrition policy says children need and what ECD centres need to put nutritious food on the table every day – in practical and financial terms.
The work began with Zero2Five's practical experience in providing nutrition support and training to ECD centres. An initial two-week menu, based on National Department of Health nutrition guidance, was refined through implementation experience into a practical one-week menu. The menu was then developed into a minimum adequate ECD nutrition framework and, ultimately, a defined and costed food basket.
Nutrition first. Affordability informed.
Rather than allowing the price of food to determine what children should eat, the nutritional requirement is established first. The required foods and quantities are then translated into a practical menu and priced in supermarkets across the country, where ECD practitioners purchase food for children, creating a basis for ongoing national price monitoring.
The ECD Nutrition Basket includes a diverse range of foods across the major food groups, including fortified staple foods, vegetables, fruit, legumes, eggs, tinned fish, milk and maas (sour milk), healthy fats and spreads. It also allows for appropriate substitutions, promoting locally available food where the nutritional purpose of the meal can be maintained.
What is the cost of feeding children attending ECD centres?
The latest September 2026 pilot costing estimates the food cost as follows:
R7.35 per child per day for children aged 9–23 months; R13.06 per child per day for children aged 2–6 years; and R11.92 per child per day as the weighted average for an illustrative 20-child ECD centre comprising 20% younger and 80% older children.
For this illustrative centre, the monthly food cost is R4,768.47, based on 20 children attending for 20 days.
PMBEJD explains that the 2026/27 DBE ECD subsidy includes a food component of R9.60 per child per day. If 100% of the children in the illustrative centre were covered by the subsidy, the centre would face a food ingredient shortfall of approximately R928 per month. At 70% subsidy coverage, the illustrative gap rises to approximately R2,080 per month.
These figures are intended to make the financing question more visible — not to suggest that R11.92 represents the full cost of providing a nutrition service.
The current costing covers food ingredients only. Labour, cooking fuel, water, cleaning materials, storage and equipment are excluded.
From a menu to a national monitoring tool
The ECD Nutrition Basket is now moving into a more structured pilot and refinement phase, with monthly price monitoring beginning in October 2026.
PMBEJD brings its experience in tracking food prices through the Household Affordability Index, while Zero2Five brings extensive practical experience of nutrition provision in ECD settings. Philippa Barnard, registered dietitian and public health nutrition consultant, led the menu development, nutritional analysis and costing.
The intention is to monitor the cost of the defined food requirement over time, providing a transparent evidence base for ECD planning, budgeting, procurement and future discussions about financing.
Why the ECD Basket Matters
ECD centres play an important role in child nutrition. For many young children, the food provided while they are in care makes a meaningful contribution to their nutritional intake during the day.
''The ECD Nutrition Basket does not replace the National Department of Health's nutrition guidelines, nor is it intended to be a stand-alone stunting-prevention intervention. However, when implemented appropriately as part of a broader, evidence-informed approach to child nutrition, it can contribute to efforts to prevent stunting and support healthy growth,'' states PMBEJD.
By translating nutritional guidance into a defined food requirement and making the resources needed to provide that food visible, the basket can help turn national nutrition commitments into practical, costed implementation at the point where young children are fed.
A defined nutritional basket, with a changing price
''The ECD Nutrition Basket is a defined food basket that provides a nutritionally appropriate and diverse menu for children attending ECD centres. The menu and nutritional requirements have been established, and the current phase of the work focuses on finalising the costing and establishing ongoing price monitoring,” says the PMBEJD.
The September 2026 costing represents the current cost of the defined basket based on prices observed at that time.
As food prices change, the cost of the ECD Nutrition Basket will change too. Regular price monitoring will therefore allow the cost of providing the same defined nutritional food requirement to be tracked over time, adds PMBEJD.