This week, UNICEF released a sobering report (1): childhood obesity has officially overtaken underweight as the most common form of malnutrition worldwide. Almost 1 in 10 school-aged children is now living with obesity. It’s a shocking statistic, but a worrying reality, made even more concerning by the fact that many parents and caregivers don’t always fully understand what obesity is, what causes it, or the serious long-term health risks it brings. Numbers on a scale aside, what is less visible are the consequences of childhood obesity: higher risks of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and other serious conditions that can follow children into adulthood.

The South African Reality

In South Africa, our children grow up in food environments that make eating well very difficult.

• What’s available and affordable: In many communities, the corner shop is often the main source of food. These shops are stacked with cheap, brightly coloured packets of crisps, sugary drinks, and sweets. Fresh vegetables, fruit, or quality protein are harder to find and usually more expensive. Families trying to stretch a food budget often end up with what fills stomachs quickly, not necessarily what nourishes. 
• Marketing that targets the young: It’s no accident that kids can recognize certain fast-food logos before they can read. Food and drink companies spend millions making sure their products are fun and exciting. Online ads, TV jingles, colourful billboards, and even sponsorships at sporting events are designed to win children over. And it works. Research shows that children exposed to ads for sugary drinks or snacks are far more likely to want, and ask for, those foods (2). 
• Schools that don’t support healthy choices: While schools are supposed to be safe places for learning, too often they’re also places where unhealthy eating habits are reinforced. Many tuck shops sell fizzy drinks, fried snacks, and sweets because they are cheap to stock and in high demand. And while the curriculum covers some basics of health, most children aren’t learning the practical skills they need, like how to read a label, why whole foods matter, or how sugar affects their bodies. 

These challenges are not the fault of children or even their parents. They are the result of powerful food systems and environments that push unhealthy foods to the front and make real nourishment the harder option.

Why Nutritional Literacy Can Change the Story

This is where nutritional literacy becomes so important. Knowledge won’t magically make real food cheaper or junk food ads disappear, but it gives families the power to make better choices within their circumstances.

• For parents and guardians: Knowing how to compare products on a shelf, spot hidden sugars in labels, or stretch a meal with simple, whole ingredients can make a big difference. It’s about turning limited food budgets into meals that support children’s growth, energy, and learning. 
• For children: Even though kids don’t always control what’s bought at home, teaching them early about what’s in their food creates awareness. A child who learns that a fizzy drink contains 8 teaspoons of sugar may start to question whether they really want it every day. These small sparks of awareness can shape habits for life. 
• For families and communities: When parents talk about food, when schools teach it, and when children begin to notice the difference between “filling food” and “fueling food,” demand for healthier options grows. Communities can push for change, like healthier school tuck shops and better food policies.

Building a Healthier Future for Our Kids

Tackling childhood obesity in South Africa isn’t just about saying “eat better.” It’s about reshaping the environments that surround our children:

• Making sure nutritious foods are affordable and available in every community. 
• Pushing back on marketing strategies that turn junk food into children’s daily cravings. 
• Bringing real, practical nutrition education into classrooms and tuck shops. 
• Supporting parents and guardians with the tools and confidence to nourish their children. 

Every child deserves more than just food that fills them up; they deserve food that helps them grow, think, play, and dream. Childhood obesity is not a failure of individual willpower; it’s a failure of the systems that feed our children. But by raising nutritional literacy, we can start to tip the balance back in their favour.

Because when parents understand, children learn… and when children learn, they carry those lessons into the future.

3 Small Ways to Boost Your Family’s Food Literacy This Week:

1. Read one food label together: Next time you’re shopping, pick a snack or drink your child likes and look at the sugar content together. Show them how many teaspoons of sugar it equals; it’s a powerful visual. 
2. Swap one daily snack for a whole-food option: Try biltong instead of crisps, boiled eggs instead of muffins, or cucumber sticks with hummus instead of biscuits. Small changes add up. 
3. Cook one meal together: Let your child help prepare a simple meal like scrambled eggs with spinach, chicken with a side salad, or minced cabbage stir-fry. Kids are far more likely to eat what they helped create… and who knows, it could lead to a few nights off from cooking for you! 

References

1. https://www.unicef.org/press-releases/obesity-exceeds-underweight-first-time-among-school-age-children-and-adolescents
2. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1751-2409.2009.01015.x