South African schools and campaigners push for healthier food as childhood obesity rises
Kairos School and advocacy groups promote whole foods and tighter marketing rules amid a surge in overweight children in South Africa and worldwide.
South African schools and campaigners are tightening food policies and pushing for broader restrictions on junk-food marketing as childhood overweight and obesity climb both nationally and globally.
At the Kairos School of Inquiry in Randburg, pupils are served mainly vegetarian, whole-food lunches and parents are asked to pack only unprocessed items in lunchboxes. Headteacher Marc Loon said the policy aims to teach children about healthy eating and to counter what he called a worrying global trend: "If all schools were to emulate our intention of being thoughtful and conscious of what children are putting into their bodies... the health of the children would be served," he said.
The school-level measures come amid stark international figures. The United Nations and UNICEF say the number of overweight and obese teenagers has nearly tripled in the last two decades, and the number of overweight children aged five to nine has risen from 69 million to 147 million. In South Africa, UNICEF and other agencies report that 22% of children under five are now overweight or obese, up from 13% in 2016.
Campaigners and health workers point to the growing availability and marketing of convenience and fast foods as a major driver, especially in middle-income countries where rising household incomes have increased access to high-calorie restaurant and takeaway options. The South African fast-food market was valued at about $2.7 billion in 2018 and was forecast to reach $4.9 billion by 2026.
Trainee lawyer Mamkhabela Mthembu described how fast food shifted from an occasional treat to an everyday convenience after she moved to Pretoria for university and lived above a fast-food restaurant. "Junk food was something that we looked up to because my granny didn't always have money, so it was a token of celebration," she said. "Now I am overweight, it's something that I'm not proud of. I had bleeding gums as a child from eating too many sweets which I still have today. I'm starting to have breathing problems." Mthembu has since become an advocate with UNICEF to raise awareness about the health impacts of fast food.
UNICEF's nutrition manager in South Africa, Gilbert Tshitaudzi, said governments, not just individuals, must change the environments that shape children's choices. "Previously, we would always blame an individual for not exercising enough, or not eating healthily," he said. "But we know now that that is not really the case. How do you expect an individual to live a healthier lifestyle if their environment does not enable them to do that?" UNICEF has advised the South African government to restrict the marketing of unhealthy foods to children.
South Africa introduced a tax on sugary drinks in 2018, a policy designed to reduce consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages. Public health experts say the levy has had some effect on prices and industry formulations, but rising obesity rates among children have continued, suggesting that broader measures are needed to address multiple drivers, including access to affordable healthy foods and the density of fast-food outlets.
Household income and food access patterns complicate responses. In poorer countries overweight children have tended to come from wealthier families that can afford high-calorie foods, while in middle-income economies like South Africa, more households can afford fast-food meals. High unemployment and constrained household budgets mean that many families find healthier options less accessible.
The health consequences can be complex and multifactorial. Memory Padi, whose eight-year-old daughter Sophia was treated with steroids for a rare autoimmune condition at 18 months, said medical treatment and limited resources have contributed to her daughter's weight gain. Padi said dietitians told her Sophia "eats normally," but steroid treatment and constraints on activity have compounded the problem; Sophia now weighs 107 kg. Padi has placed her daughter on a low-carbohydrate diet and supporters have set up social media pages to raise funds for activities such as swimming lessons that might help manage weight.
Advocates say the combination of school-based policies, restrictions on advertising to children, taxes on unhealthy products, and improved access to local nutritious foods will be required to reverse current trends. Until such measures are widely implemented, campaigners and some schools say they will continue to try to shield children through institutional rules and community education.
Back at Kairos School, pupils eat from lunchboxes containing fruits, vegetables and wholewheat sandwiches under a policy intended to create a healthier daily environment. Headteacher Loon said schools can play a role while governments and industry address broader structural drivers of diet and health.
