The importance of sorghum for South Africa

“The world’s food systems have developed in a way that is not serving health and sustainability.

People are increasingly eating industrially produced foods that are low in nutrients and high in fats and sugars. For example, in South Africa between 2005 and 2010, sales of snack bars, ready meals and noodles all rose by more than 40%. These are associated with increasing levels of obesity and diet-related noncommunicable diseases such as diabetes.

The diets of people living in poverty are typically monotonous, dominated by refined grains with an impact on nutrition, especially for children. Healthy diets remain unaffordable for most South Africans.