Table 3.
Ranking of selected South African foods within each food group according to the nutrient-to-price ratio per 100 kcal.
| Food groups | Food item | NPR (NRF9.3/ZAR 100 kcal) | Nutrient density (NRF9.3/100 kcal) | Price per 100 kcal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fortified starchy foods | Stiff porridge (maize meal, fortified) | 242 | 44 | 0·18 |
| Soft porridge (maize meal, fortified) | 242 | 44 | 0·18 | |
| Brown bread (fortified) | 129 | 108 | 0·83 | |
| White bread (fortified) | 98 | 79 | 0·81 | |
| All bran flakes, breakfast cereal | 55 | 105 | 1·92 | |
| Corn flakes, plain, breakfast cereal | 49 | 71 | 1·43 | |
| Morvite original instant porridge, prepared¶ | 25 | 49 | 2·01 | |
| Weet-Bix, breakfast cereal | 19 | 33 | 1·70 | |
| Unfortified starchy foods | Samp, cooked (white)* | 102 | 26 | 0·26 |
| Samp and beans, 1:1, cooked | 87 | 41 | 0·47 | |
| Brown rice, cooked | 49 | 27 | 0·55 | |
| White rice, cooked | 47 | 22 | 0·47 | |
| Pasta, Macaroni/Spaghetti, cooked | 40 | 31 | 0·77 | |
| Potato, boiled without skin | 34 | 38 | 1·11 | |
| Oats, rolled, cooked | 34 | 28 | 0·83 | |
| Popcorn, plain | 25 | 16 | 0·65 | |
| Pasta, whole wheat Macaroni/Spaghetti, cooked | 25 | 34 | 1·38 | |
| Noodles, egg, cooked | 17 | 36 | 2·11 | |
| White-fleshed sweet potato, boiled | 6 | 27 | 4·15 | |
| Roti, made with sun oil | 5 | 6 | 1·21 | |
| Pulses | Lentils, whole, cooked | 85 | 104 | 1·23 |
| Sugar beans, cooked | 71 | 78 | 1·09 | |
| Lentils, split | 67 | 73 | 1·09 | |
| Soya mince, cooked | 32 | 126 | 3·95 | |
| Baked beans, canned in tomato sauce | 17 | 38 | 2·31 | |
| Dairy | Maas/Sour milk | 17 | 34 | 2·02 |
| Milk, low fat/2 % fat, fresh | 16 | 41 | 2·55 | |
| Milk, full fat/whole, fresh | 16 | 34 | 2·08 | |
| Yoghurt, plain, double cream | 15 | 44 | 3·05 | |
| Milk, full fat/whole, UHT | 14 | 30 | 2·16 | |
| Yoghurt, plain, low fat | 10 | 49 | 5·00 | |
| Cheese, Cheddar | 7 | 29 | 4·15 | |
| Cheese, Gouda (Edam, Swiss) | 7 | 31 | 4·51 | |
| Yoghurt, fruit, low fat, sweetened | 5 | 17 | 3·61 | |
| Cheese, processed, full fat | 3 | 10 | 4·17 | |
| Fish, chicken, meat and eggs | Chicken giblets, cooked | 58 | 193 | 3·30 |
| Egg, chicken, boiled/poached | 43 | 131 | 3·02 | |
| Pilchards in tomato sauce, canned | 27 | 162 | 6·10 | |
| Fish, low fat, grilled | 15 | 167 | 11·33 | |
| Chicken, meat and skin, frozen, roasted | 10 | 35 | 3·62 | |
| Fish, medium fat, grilled/steamed | 10 | 57 | 5·91 | |
| Pork, loin, grilled (chop) | 9 | 48 | 5·55 | |
| Beef, chuck, cooked – moist | 8 | 56 | 6·65 | |
| Chicken, feet, raw | 8 | 18 | 2·18 | |
| Chicken, white meat, fresh, cooked | 8 | 49 | 6·02 | |
| Beef, topside/lean mince, cooked | 8 | 60 | 7·87 | |
| Patty, beef, frozen, grilled | 7 | 30 | 4·02 | |
| Tuna, canned in water | 5 | 103 | 20·97 | |
| Beef, brisket/regular mince, cooked | 4 | 17 | 3·91 | |
| Mutton, shoulder, braised | 3 | 22 | 7·08 | |
| Polony/Bologna, beef and pork | 2 | 3 | 1·34 | |
| Mutton, loin, grilled (chop) | 2 | 16 | 8·12 | |
| Bacon, cured, pan-fried/grilled | 0·4 | 1 | 3·53 | |
| Vienna sausage, beef and pork, canned§ | −3 | −8 | 2·46 | |
| Sausage, beef and pork/boerewors, grilled | −4 | −10 | 2·65 | |
| Vitamin A-rich fruits and vegetables | Carrot, boiled (flesh and skin) | 53 | 169 | 3·21 |
| Butternut, squash, boiled | 49 | 117 | 2·41 | |
| Orange-fleshed sweet potato, baked | 46 | 150 | 3·25 | |
| Spinach (Swiss Chard), boiled | 15 | 231 | 15·58 | |
| Pumpkin, boiled | 15 | 173 | 11·85 | |
| Mango, raw (peeled) | 6 | 45 | 8·14 | |
| Peach, raw | 4 | 29 | 6·99 | |
| Other vegetables | Mixed vegetables, frozen, boiled | 32 | 135 | 4·22 |
| Onion, boiled | 25 | 57 | 2·28 | |
| Peas, frozen, boiled | 18 | 86 | 4·91 | |
| Beetroot, boiled with skin | 14 | 51 | 3·66 | |
| Tomato, raw | 12 | 115 | 9·54 | |
| Cabbage, boiled | 12 | 86 | 7·47 | |
| Green beans, frozen, boiled | 9 | 92 | 10·03 | |
| Broccoli, boiled | 9 | 135 | 15·80 | |
| Gem squash, boiled | 8 | 80 | 9·75 | |
| Pepper, sweet, green, boiled | 7 | 132 | 20·14 | |
| Cauliflower, boiled | 6 | 92 | 15·47 | |
| Lettuce, raw | 5 | 134 | 27·52 | |
| Cucumber, English, raw | 2 | 89 | 40·16 | |
| Other fruits | Orange, raw (peeled) | 17 | 57 | 3·34 |
| Banana, raw (peeled) | 13 | 47 | 3·52 | |
| Apple, golden delicious, raw | 9 | 25 | 2·85 | |
| Pear, raw | 8 | 24 | 2·89 | |
| Naartjie/Tangerine, raw (peeled) | 8 | 44 | 5·51 | |
| Avocado, raw (peeled) | 5 | 13 | 2·58 | |
| Plum, raw | 4 | 26 | 6·82 | |
| Mango and orange juice | 3 | 34 | 10·59 | |
| Nectarine, raw | 3 | 25 | 7·96 | |
| Grape, average, raw | 2 | 26 | 9·90 | |
| Pineapple, raw (peeled) | 0·7 | 32 | 48·98 | |
| Fats and oils | Margarine, brick/hard | 39 | 15 | 0·37 |
| Margarine, polyunsaturated, soft | 38 | 15 | 0·40 | |
| Salad dressing, French | −3 | −5 | 1·51 | |
| Canola oil | −11 | −4 | 0·35 | |
| Butter | −12 | −20 | 1·63 | |
| Salad dressing, mayonnaise | −16 | −11 | 0·70 | |
| Sunflower oil | −18 | −5 | 0·30 | |
| Foods high in fat | Vetkoek, home-made≠ | 14 | 25 | 1·73 |
| Snack, savoury, potato crisps/chips | 12 | 29 | 2·41 | |
| Pie, chicken, commercial, baked | 11 | 23 | 2·10 | |
| Peanut butter (unsalted/unsweetened) | 8 | 12 | 1·48 | |
| Peanuts, roasted, salted | 8 | 17 | 2·19 | |
| Peanut butter, smooth style | 7 | 8 | 1·16 | |
| Avocado, raw (peeled) | 5 | 13 | 2·58 | |
| Potato chips/French fries | 6 | 12 | 1·92 | |
| Snack, savoury, average, e.g. Niknaks, Fritosǂ | 1 | 1 | 1·46 | |
| Samoosa, with mutton filling | −1 | −3 | 2·67 | |
| Sugar and foods and drinks high in sugar | Dairy-fruit juice mix | 7 | 18 | 2·65 |
| Muffin, plain | 5 | 8 | 1·50 | |
| Doughnut, plain | −1 | −2 | 2·25 | |
| Cold drink, squash, diluted | −6 | −45 | 7·58 | |
| Sweets, fruit gum | −7 | −34 | 4·79 | |
| Cookies, commercial, plain | −8 | −11 | 1·40 | |
| Sweets, chocolate, milk | −8 | −25 | 3·05 | |
| Ice cream, regular (10 % fat) | −10 | −13 | 1·34 | |
| Cookies, commercial, with filling | −13 | −18 | 1·40 | |
| Jam/Marmalade | −22 | −40 | 1·81 | |
| Sweets, hard boiled and soft jelly type | −31 | −48 | 1·54 | |
| Cold drink, carbonated | −54 | −98 | 1·83 | |
| Sugar, brown | −189 | −97 | 0·51 | |
| Sugar, white, granulated | −213 | −100 | 0·47 |
NPR, nutrient-to-price; NRF, Nutrient Rrich Foods; ZAR, South African Rand, 100 kcal = 418 kJ.
¶
Morvite – instant sorghum porridge.
*
Samp – dried corn kernels.
§
Vienna sausage – Hot dog/Frankfurter (thin parboiled sausage traditionally made of pork and beef).
≠
Vetkoek – Fried dough bread.
ǂ
Niknaks, Fritos – Corn-based snack.