Union Against Hunger: 1 in 5 households

The Union Against Hunger, a South African coalition of civil-society and academic groups, used a May 22 social-media post to press its case that hunger remains a daily reality for millions of households. In the post, the group said one in five South African households go without food daily and called for urgent action from government, the public and donors. The appeal was linked to World Hunger Day on May 28. The coalition has also designated May 25-30 as “Food Justice Week” and says it will organize actions and programmes across the country. ### What did the group say on May 22? The Union Against Hunger said on May 22 that “1 in 5 households in South Africa go without food daily,” according to its public campaign messaging around World Hunger Day. The group’s call asked South Africans to respond through policy action, organizing and donations, and used the hashtag #WorldHungerDay in its outreach. (unionagainsthunger.org) May 28 is the focal date in the campaign. On its website, the coalition said it is undertaking a national month of action leading up to World Hunger Day 2026 and has declared May 25-30 “Food Justice Week.” (unionagainsthunger.org) ### Where does the “1 in 5 households” figure come from? FoodForward SA’s 2026 household food insecurity report said nearly one in four households in its surveyed group go a day without food, while seven out of 10 experienced moderate to severe food insecurity. SABC, reporting on the study in February, said the survey was conducted with a University of Cape Town research unit and focused on close to 800 individuals in households already receiving food aid. (unionagainsthunger.org) Other South African reporting has used a similar range. The Star reported in March that one in five households go hungry, while Eye Witness News reported in May 2025 that about 15% of people in South Africa experienced hunger and 25% had limited access to food in 2024. ### Who is the Union Against Hunger? (foodforwardsa.org) The Union Against Hunger says it is a South African alliance focused on ending hunger and malnutrition through advocacy and organizing. The Centre of Excellence in Food Security, in a profile of the coalition, described it as a collaboration of academia and civil society created to push recognition of hunger in South Africa as a crisis and to demand policy change. (thestar.co.za) The coalition’s own materials say it is rooted in food equity, human rights and solidarity, and aims to realize constitutional rights to sufficient food and water. ### What actions is the coalition demanding? The Union Against Hunger has paired public mobilization with specific policy demands in earlier World Hunger Day campaigns. Eye Witness News reported in 2025 that the group called for wealth taxes to fund hunger programmes, a government body dedicated to hunger, a higher Child Support Grant aligned with the food poverty line, and steps to reduce food waste. (unionagainsthunger.org) Daily Maverick reported in April that FoodForward SA also called for decisive action as food insecurity worsened, while more than 10 million tonnes of food are still lost or wasted across the food system. ### What happens next? May 28 is World Hunger Day, and the Union Against Hunger says actions and programmes are scheduled across South Africa during Food Justice Week from May 25 to May 30. (ewn.co.za) The coalition’s campaign pages say supporters can follow its website and public channels for event details and participation information. (unionagainsthunger.org) (dailymaverick.co.za)