Investigating food environments in selected areas of Tshwane

Abstract

A food environment is a combination of physical, biological, social and psychological factors that affect the eating habits and patterns of people. The food environment is determined by the availability, affordability and access to the food required for a nutritional diet. The characteristics influencing the food environment include the nature of the food retailers; transport network; physical barriers such as rivers, mountains, highways and industrial areas; cultural factors such as food taboos and the socio-economic profile such as poverty. The food environment influences what people eat, by constraining what consumers can purchase. We report here on two preliminary investigations of food environments in Tshwane, South Africa. The one study was conducted in an informal settlement called ‘Marry Me’ in Soshanguve in the northern part of Tshwane. Informal settlements and food insecurity are a global concern and both are part of the South African community. Informal settlements do not have any form of planning and the structures are made of plastics, zinc material and hardboards. The second study was conducted in Pretoria Gardens, an old, formal, low to medium-income suburb situated in north-central Tshwane. The physical barriers impeding access to Pretoria Gardens include a ridge, a railway line, a major road and commercial business district, an unused railway line and open spaces. The results show that there is only one fruit and vegetable stall that provides healthy food to the residents of ‘Marry Me’ that is within a 400m walking distance, which is insufficient to provide nutritious healthy food to the community. Future research may include other variables such as food pricing, food quality, and be done in a larger scale to better understand the food environment in a township