Why a “Simple” Breakfast is Transforming South African Education

Every school day holds potential, and for thousands of South African children, that potential is being unlocked one breakfast at a time.

South Africa (08 April 2026) – School is meant to be a place of possibility… and for thousands of children, that possibility is being supported by something as simple as breakfast.

Across South Africa, classrooms are filled with learners who arrive ready to take on the day, but for many, that readiness has little to do with energy and everything to do with determination. Behind the uniforms and school bags are stories of households navigating food insecurity on a daily basis. And children doing their best to learn while carrying the weight of it.

New research from FoodForward SA, released as the world recently marked International School Meals Day, highlights just how widespread the challenge has become. The organisation’s State of Household Food Insecurity in South Africa Report 2026 reveals that around 70% of households surveyed are experiencing moderate-to-severe food insecurity, while 1 in 4 households is facing conditions so severe that going an entire day without food is not uncommon. Children are often the most affected. Many are growing up in homes where food is uncertain and 1 in 3 are facing severe hunger. Parents are making difficult sacrifices, skipping meals so their children can eat and nearly 78% have had to explain to their kids why there simply isn’t enough food at home.

“You cannot expect a child to focus on learning when hunger is part of their daily reality,” says Andy Du Plessis, managing director of FoodForward SA. “Our report shows that this is not occasional hardship; it is ongoing. That’s why consistent school meals, especially breakfast, are so important for learning and development.”

And this is where the story begins to shift. Through the Breakfast for Better Days programme, a partnership between FoodForward SA and Mars Incorporated, thousands of learners are being given something many of us take for granted… a meal to start the day. Now in its 12th year, the initiative provides a daily serving of fortified cereal to children at vulnerable schools across the country, ensuring they begin their school day nourished and ready to engage.

Since 2014, the programme has delivered more than 62 million meals and currently supports 35,000 children in 50 schools across four provinces. In Gauteng, 8,000 children across 10 schools are part of the programme, while KwaZulu-Natal reaches 15,000 learners in 25 schools, and the Eastern Cape supports 12,000 children across 15 schools. Behind every one of those meals is a system that works with care and consistency. FoodForward SA manages the logistics, from sourcing and warehousing to transport and distribution, making sure that every delivery arrives on time and reaches the learners who need it most.

For Mars, the programme forms part of its global Better Days Promise, which aims to improve food security and positively impact billions of people by 2030.

“Through our Better Days Promise, we are committed to alleviating school hunger, because a child cannot learn on an empty stomach,” says Zandile Mposelwa, Corporate Affairs Director SA at Mars. “By partnering with FoodForward South Africa, we ensure that we create better days for those who need it most through food.”

And those better days are felt in ways that go far beyond a single meal. They show up in classrooms where children can concentrate for longer, participate more confidently and engage with the lessons in front of them. They show up in attendance, in energy and a shift that happens when a child no longer has to choose between learning and hunger.

FoodForward SA and Mars are now calling on businesses, donors and communities to continue supporting school nutrition programmes, because the impact is clear and the need is ongoing.

When a child starts their day with something as simple as breakfast, it doesn’t just change their morning… it changes what they believe is possible.

For more information on FoodForward SA and how to support its work, visit www.foodforwardsa.org.

Sources: FoodForward SA 

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