Petition launched for lower food prices
A nationwide petition has been launched calling on the government and retailers to act to lower food prices.
Union Against Hunger hopes to collect about 100,000 signatures as part of its campaign to reduce the price of foodstuffs.
The union's secretary, Dr. Busiso Moyo, says South Africans are fighting a daily battle just to feed their families.
" The issue of pricing has been a burden for quite some time now, and I think consumers have been losing purchasing power, so to speak.
"And that's where now we are coming in on board to say, perhaps we need to now just to start speaking about that basic needs basket and how we can at least ensure that we can confront this issue of pricing and inflation head-on."
READ: Monthly food basket rises to R5,400
Moyo says they will go door-to-door to collect signatures and raise awareness about child hunger and malnutrition.
He believes that, like government retailers, retailers can play a role in alleviating poverty.
" A low-hanging fruit would be the list of VAT-exempt goods. If we could expand that list and also have some sort of vulnerability mapping exercise that can tell us where the most vulnerability lies.
"I think businesses perhaps have that data because they understand purchasing power, but also we need to acknowledge that the government does not necessarily produce food.
"It's also about talking to corporates and what their role and responsibilities are insofar as the business and human rights agenda goes."
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