Popular fast and processed foods consumed daily by South Africans are taking their toll on public health, with regulars like bacon, hot dogs and ham – long-time breakfast and sandwich staples in many households – contributing to numerous and potentially serious health problems.
News24 reports that in a country with such high poverty levels, food decisions are often shaped by affordability, not nutrition, with studies showing that ultra-processed products account for about 40% of the daily calories consumed by low-income South African adults.
At the same time, only a small fraction meet WHO recommendations for fruit and vegetable intake.
Experts say this has led to what they describe as a “fat and hungry” paradox – a reality in which malnutrition and obesity co-exist.
Reduced purchasing power pushes many households towards cheap, energy-dense foods like refined carbohydrates (including maize meal and bread), sugar-sweetened beverages and added fats, which are filling but nutritionally poor.
The cost of this convenience is high: overweight and obesity alone were estimated to cost the health system more than R33bn in 2020, absorbing more than 15% of the public health budget, with South Africa having one of the highest obesity rates in sub-Saharan Africa, reflecting a diet heavy in processed and high-energy foods.
This is despite the WHO and its agency, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), classifying bacon, viennas and ham as processed meats and designating them as Group 1 carcinogens.
Bacon and ham are typically prepared by smoking, curing, or adding chemical preservatives like nitrites, which are added during processing to preserve the meat, enhance flavour, and give products their characteristic pink colour. However, these same compounds are what make processed meats particularly dangerous for health.
The WHO estimates that regular consumption of these foods, or just more than 50g per day, can increase the risk of cancer by as much as 18%.
Scientists and researchers have urged that processed meats should carry warning labels similar to those found on other Group 1 carcinogens, like cigarettes, alcohol and asbestos.
“Consumers deserve clear information. Most people don’t realise that the WHO classifies nitrite-cured meats like bacon and ham in the same carcinogenic category as tobacco and asbestos,” Denis Corpet, an Emeritus Professor of Food Safety and Nutrition at Toulouse University, told The Guardian.
On labelling, Dr Tamryn Frank, a researcher at the University of the Western Cape working in the field of obesity and non-communicable disease prevention, said the food industry often argues that personal responsibility, not regulation, should guide consumer choices.
This narrative, she added, “is simply a way to prioritise profits over public health, particularly children who are the primary targets of junk food marketing”.
“Over and over again, it is clear that the ultra-processed food industry puts its for-profit motives above public health. When bombarded with tailored marketing for unhealthy, ultra-processed products, there’s hardly any room for free choice. The government must lead the way by implementing policies that protect the population’s health.”
See more from MedicalBrief archives:
Why SA isnʼt ready for health claims on food labels
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Importance of African dietary guidelines underlined in SA study