South Africans (SA) love a good burger, but celebrating International Burger Day recently on May 28th came with a massive price shock. If you\u2019ve noticed your wallet feeling a lot lighter after a trip to the drive-thru, you aren\u2019t imagining it. Consumer analytics business Eighty20 has crunched the numbers using data from Statistics SA, BrandMapp, and MAPS to see exactly how much the price of putting a burger on your plate has changed.<\/p>\n
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The big culprit behind these soaring prices is a nationwide disease outbreak. SA has been battling its worst outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in decades, hitting cattle herds across all nine provinces. With healthy animals quarantined and supply squeezed, beef inflation surged sharply, peaking with a massive 30% year-on-year jump. For the past year, meat has completely dominated the country’s inflation story.<\/p>\n
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To put it into perspective, look at the classic Big Mac in SA. In May last year, it cost around R55 ($3.39) on the McDonald\u2019s app, but it has recently hit R70.90 ($4.37). That is a staggering 29% price increase in just one year. It is hitting home kitchens too. From the mince to the buns, almost every single ingredient for a homemade burger in SA has grown at more than double the normal inflation rate over the past year, with tomato sauce being the only exception.<\/p>\n
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So, how are South Africans reacting? They are changing how and where they eat. Data from the MAPS survey of 20 000 South Africans shows that while the total number of people who eat fast food hasn’t dropped, they are ordering it much less often. Eighty20 Director Andrew Fulton notes that across the fast-food category, visitation has declined because consumers are simply eating out less frequently, even though the overall pool of diners remains stable.<\/p>\n
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South Africans are also swapping beef for cheaper proteins. Traditional local burger giants like McDonald\u2019s, Wimpy, and Steers have seen a decline in foot traffic. Meanwhile, chicken brands like Hungry Lion, Pedros, and Nando’s, alongside pizza chains, are rapidly gaining ground in the local market.<\/p>\n
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Financial results from major SA food groups back this up. Spur reported an 8% rise in sales but admitted this was price-led rather than volume-led, meaning people are spending more because food costs more, not because they are buying more meals. Similarly, Famous Brands noted that customers are still visiting their favorite spots, but they are now buying smaller, simpler, and cheaper items to save cash.<\/p>\n
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For wealthier SA households earning R10 000 ($616.47) or more, BrandMapp data shows a shift that might be driven by both tight budgets and health. Their research shows 1.7 million South Africans plan to cut back on meat entirely, while 400 000 say they intend to go fully vegetarian. Next time you bite into a juicy beef burger, enjoy every mouthful, because it’s officially becoming a luxury in SA.<\/p>\n
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–ChannelAfrica\/Eighty20–<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":36094,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"featured-post":[340,188,234],"class_list":["post-36093","lifestyle-ent","type-lifestyle-ent","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","featured-post-burger","featured-post-food","featured-post-south-africa","entry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/lifestyle-ent\/36093","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/lifestyle-ent"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/lifestyle-ent"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36094"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36093"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"featured-post","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/featured-post?post=36093"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}