Open letter: Eskort urges Braai Index to reflect real meat choices including pork
The South African tradition of cooking with fire is under severe price pressure. Over the past year the Braai Index has increased by 1.6% – and without the 43% fall in the price of potatoes, it would have risen much more sharply.
Image supplied
Eskort, South Africa’s antibiotic-free pork producer, says the index, doesn’t tell the whole story about the cost of a braai. And with the recent peak braai season, the company has written an open letter to the compilers of the index, explaining how a simple adjustment can transform the picture.
Open letter from Eskort to the Braai Index compilers
We need to talk about the Braai Index. Or rather, what’s missing from it.
As South Africans count the days to the holiday season, your October index delivered sobering news: beef prices have surged 20% year-on-year, the cost of wors and chicken is “much higher”, and the overall basket is back in inflationary territory. Month-on-month braai inflation hit 1.2%, and meat lovers across the nation are feeling the squeeze.
But here’s the plot twist: there’s an entire protein category that could save South Africa’s braai tradition – and you’re not tracking it.
We’re talking about pork. And before you dismiss this as special pleading from a pork producer, consider the numbers.
While your index reports beef prices climbing 20% year-on-year, StatsSA’s latest inflation data shows pork fillet rose by just 1.14%. And here’s even more startling news: you get nearly three times as much fillet for your money when you choose pork.
When overall meat inflation hit 11.7% in September – and beef in particular went through the roof – pork remained the steady, affordable protein hero that South African households desperately need.
The Braai Index tracks beef, wors and chicken portions but ignores pork chops, ribs, fillet, and the dozens of other pork products that could rescue the nation’s braai budget.
Eye-watering increases
This isn’t just an oversight. It’s a disservice to South African consumers who need alternatives to beef’s eye-watering price increases (33.4% for rump steak, according to StatsSA).
Meat consumption patterns are shifting as households move toward more affordable proteins. Yet your index is showing them only half the picture. And it’s telling South Africans they’re “braai broke” without showing them how to become “braai bosses”.
Including pork in the Braai Index would:
- Provide accurate inflation insights: With pork prices rising at a fraction of beef’s rate, your index would better reflect the real options available to consumers navigating food inflation.
- Acknowledge South African braai culture: Pork has deep roots in South African cuisine across all cultural groups – from sosaties to ribs to roasts. Excluding it suggests we only braai beef, wors and chicken, which is insulting to our diverse culinary heritage.
- Empower consumers with choice: Shoppers hit with beef’s hefty increase deserve to know there’s a quality alternative that won’t demolish their budget. Your index should illuminate options, not obscure them.
- Reflect market reality: Walk into any supermarket and count the metres of shelf space dedicated to pork products. Then ask yourself why this major protein category is absent from your “essential braai items” basket.
We’re not asking you to remove beef from the index. We’re asking you to give consumers the full picture. The Braai Index has a responsibility to reflect the diversity of proteins that can keep South Africa’s braai tradition alive and affordable.
Because at Eskort, we believe every South African deserves to gather around the fire in the holidays without having to choose between quality and financial sanity.
Exceptional value
We’ve spent decades perfecting pork products that rival beef in taste and quality while offering exceptional value. Pork fillet, rump, T-bone steaks, ribs, chops – these aren’t second-tier alternatives. They’re premium proteins that are dramatically more affordable than their beef equivalents.
And they’re just the tip of the iceberg, as Eskort finds ever more creative and delicious ways to make the most of this remarkable meat.
So here’s our challenge: add pork to the Braai Index for 2026. Let South Africans see the real cost comparison. Let the data speak for itself.
If you’re genuinely committed to tracking “essential items typically used for a South African braai”, then it’s time to acknowledge that pork isn’t optional – it’s essential. Especially when beef is pricing itself off the average family’s braai grid.
The nation’s braai masters are watching. Let’s make the Braai Index truly reflective of how South Africans actually braai – with diversity, creativity, and increasingly with excellent pork.
Yours in braai solidarity (and budget-conscious protein choices)