Transforming SA’s food landscape begins with a balanced breakfast, complete with whole grains

Mandy Murphy, general manager: Foods at PepsiCo South Africa

As a developing nation with huge promise, we cannot let this ‘stem’ our progress. Fortunately, food manufacturers are already hard at work creating healthier options and products that are accessible and affordable for all.

A study from the Human Appetite Research Unit at the University of Leeds in the UK found evidence suggesting that breakfast, including cereals, has beneficial effects on on-task behaviour in the classroom, mainly in children under the age of 13. The study also found a positive association between habitual breakfast frequency and the quality of school grades or achievement test scores. And so, within this context, it turns out our parents were right: breakfast is, in fact, the most important meal of the day.

Many producers go above and beyond to ensure that healthy, delicious meals make their way to those who need them most. One such example is PepsiCo’s School Breakfast Nutrition Programme launched in 2015 with the Department of Basic Education. The programme provides children at schools in disadvantaged areas across South Africa breakfast cereals and milk every weekday during the school term. This initiative aims to support the likelihood of academic progress, promote healthy eating habits, and positively contribute to food security.

What we need now is for consumers and society as a whole to prioritise their individual health by balancing their nutritional choices and advocating for greater education and awareness.

Unlocking nutrition through innovation

Consumers are becoming increasingly aware of the composition of their food and how it is produced, prompting an increased demand for food reformulation. Food innovation is one of the ways that we can develop healthier and more sustainably-sourced foods, incorporating approaches such as substituting ingredients for healthier alternatives and developing new production technologies.

South Africa’s cereal producers have responded to this need for innovation by dedicating themselves to being a part of the solution to our national nutrition crisis, voluntarily reformulating their recipes and rethinking their manufacturing processes to enhance their nutrition offerings. This includes reducing the sugar and sodium in their products, increasing the amount of fibre, and fortifying the products by adding vitamins and minerals that are essential for growth and everyday life. Meanwhile, a higher intake of whole grains, as can be found in many available cereals, has been linked to lower body weight and cholesterol levels, with strong evidence suggesting it reduces the risk of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.

The result is a new generation of breakfast and food products with healthier and more diverse ingredients without compromising the flavours we know and love.

Feeding people, communities, and a nation

The products and cereals we enjoy at the breakfast table form part of a value chain that begins with the farmers who grow the grains, the factories that use those grains to create delicious morsels, the distributors who transport those morsels to the stores, and the people who purchase and consume them.

Programmes like the School Breakfast Nutrition Programme and many others reflect the need for stakeholder collaboration and how we can work together to transform South Africa’s food landscape. On this National Cereal Day, by prioritising breakfast as the most important meal of the day, promoting the benefits of whole grains and cereals, and advocating for greater awareness around healthy eating, we can make an impact on people’s lives and contribute to South Africa’s health and national development.