Freedom is not only the right to vote or speak freely, but also the ability to live with dignity. This means having real options: food that is affordable, healthy and produced in ways that do not depend on and promote the exploitation of people, animals or the environment.

On 27 April, South Africa marks Freedom Day, a commemoration of the transition towards democracy and a chance for renewed commitment to dignity, equality and the rule of law. This year's theme, Freedom and the Rule of Law: Thirty Years of Democratic Citizenship, invites reflection not only on the constitutional rights and freedoms enshrined in 1996, but on whether those rights are meaningfully realised in everyday life.

Freedom, as South Africans know, is not abstract; it is lived (or denied) through the conditions that shape people's daily choices. This is no more visible than in South Africa's food system.

For millions of South Africans, the freedom to choose what to eat, how to nourish their families and whether these choices align with their values is profoundly constrained. This is not only an issue of hunger or poverty, though these remain pervasive. It is the structural nature of the food system itself that prevents the majority of people from making ethical, sustainable and health-conscious food choices.

In other words, while many South Africans may want to care, they do not have the freedom to do so.

The burden of impossible choices

Across the country, households have to navigate a...