There was a marginal improvement in food security in South Africa over the last year, according to independent research by economists at Stellenbosch University. Marking World Food Day, the Shoprite Group, Africa’s largest food retailer, commissioned the South African Food Security Index 2025, which is aimed at keeping the country’s hunger crisis at the forefront of the national conversation. The Index sets out to provide credible, independent, and reliable data to monitor South Africa’s progress in addressing hunger over time, in response to the country’s significant research gap on hunger and food insecurity. Four factors are measured in the Index using publicly available and annually released data: accessibility to food, affordability, utilisation/dietary diversity, and stability. In 2024, the Index score increased to 56.4, up from 44.9 in 2023, which was the lowest since 2010. This change reflects a slight increase in the proportion of households satisfied with the diversity in their diets compared to the previous year, an increase in school feeding schemes, and lower food inflation. While there is a marginal improvement giving reason for hope, hunger remains a national crisis. Key findings of the independently produced report include: All provinces except the Eastern Cape experienced an improvement in Index values in 2024. While most households (80.8%) consumed more than six food groups, almost 20% of households ate too few food groups. The Free State fared worst in dietary diversity: almost half the population (49.3%) consumed an inadequate diet eating three or fewer food groups in the last 24 hours when questioned. Female-headed households were more likely than male headed households to be food insecure.