Cost-of-braaing crisis: You will fork out more for meat this festive season

Tis the season for excess around the braai, and compared with last year the cost of grilling meat over the fire has shot up significantly.

The latest consumer price inflation data was for November, and it showed that South African food inflation overall on an annual basis accelerated to 4.4% from 3.9% in October.

The cost of your festive season braais will depend on what you want to throw on the grid. And meat prices are overcooked.

According to Statistics South Africa (Stats SA), meat prices on average rose 12.2% in the 12 months to November and this number is unlikely to have cooled significantly in December. This was the highest annual rate of increase since January 2018 when meat inflation reached an unappetising 13.4% year-on-year.

“Beef products have experienced high inflation rates for several months,” Stats SA said. Indeed, beef steak prices were up 28.4% in the 12 months to November.

This is largely a consequence of the breakouts of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) among South Africa’s cattle herds. Defying the expectations of economists who forecast a decline in beef prices because export bans were seen boosting domestic supplies, panic buying has kept the cost coals hot.

“Other meat products have now joined the fray, with pork, mutton and lamb, and sausage prices rising faster,” Stats SA said.

So there is no relief for meat lovers around the fire this season, and the adult beverages that often go with a braai were 4.7% costlier on average in November than they were 12 months earlier.

If you fancy pumpkin at this time of the year it is also a lot more expensive, with its price soaring almost 42% on an annual basis in November.

But the food and booze inflation Grinch will not spoil the party across the board.

Egg prices in November were down more than 9% compared with a year before, while potato prices were 17.7% lower. So, if you fancy a Christmas brunch with eggs and hash browns it will cost you less this year.

“Inflation for cereal products moderated to an annual 1.7% from 2.0% in October. The monthly change was -0.6%. Prices for key staple cereals registered monthly declines, including white rice (-3.1%), maize meal (-0.8%) and white bread (-0.5%),” Stats SA said.

If you like pap with your festive meals, that item is also getting cheaper. Maize futures prices have also cooled in recent months as the rains hold the promise for a stout harvest.

The bottom line is that, overall, the cost of braaing has risen significantly since last year. But meat prices are forecast to start moderating and the vaccine roll-out will hopefully address the FMD outbreaks – maybe in time for the Easter braais to be a relative bargain. DM