{"id":95455,"date":"2026-02-07T18:50:06","date_gmt":"2026-02-07T18:50:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/the-most-fattening-fast-food-meals-in-south-africa"},"modified":"2026-02-07T19:10:08","modified_gmt":"2026-02-07T19:10:08","slug":"the-most-fattening-fast-food-meals-in-south-africa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/the-most-fattening-fast-food-meals-in-south-africa","title":{"rendered":"The most fattening fast food meals in South Africa"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – South-Africa. <\/strong><\/span>Despite being packed with fat, carbs and high levels of salt, South Africans can\u2019t get enough of fast food, with the segment growing significantly since the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns.<\/p>\n

New data from Stats SA shows that, following a significant dip in activity at the onset of COVID, South Africa\u2019s takeout and fast-food segment quickly returned to pre-pandemic levels and has only grown since.<\/p>\n

By October 2025, the sector grew into a R3 billion behemoth, sitting just under the R3.5 billion haul from restaurants and coffee shops, which have still not returned to their pre-COVID levels.<\/p>\n

This rise in fast-food success comes despite the very apparent health risks associated with the quick bites.<\/p>\n

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), more than half of the adult population in South Africa is overweight or obese, with two-thirds being women.<\/p>\n

As South Africa grapples with a significant obesity crisis, understanding the role of fast food in this epidemic is crucial.<\/p>\n

The 2023 report by Action highlights that approximately 31% of men, 68% of women, and 13% of children aged 6-14 are affected by overweight or obesity, further underlining the urgent need for awareness around dietary choices.<\/p>\n

While food insecurity is a critical factor in the country\u2019s malnutrition figures, obesity is increasingly recognised as a global problem that often stems from the consumption of nutrient-poor diets.<\/p>\n

The Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) reported that South Africa faces a triple burden of malnutrition, which includes undernutrition, hidden hunger, and the prevalence of unhealthy weight due to diets high in calories but low in essential nutrients.<\/p>\n

A 2024 HSRC study found that a significant portion of South African households rely on nutrient-poor food groups, suggesting that many individuals are turning to convenient yet unhealthy options.<\/p>\n

In fact, 18.6% of households consumed poor diets, while 23.3% consumed borderline poor diets, according to the study.<\/p>\n

The association between fast-food consumption and obesity is strengthened by research from Germany and Rhodes University, which links the proximity of fast-food restaurants to increased rates of overweight individuals.<\/p>\n

In response to these pressing issues, the South African government has rolled out the National Food and Nutrition Security Plan for 2018-2023, aimed at combating food insecurity and improving nutrition.<\/p>\n

Heftiest fast foods in South Africa<\/b><\/p>\n

Although the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for an adult is 8,700 kilojoules (kJ) per day, which varies among individuals, the kilojoule content of some fast-food meals exceeds this amount.<\/p>\n

BusinessTech looked at some of the most fattening meals across South Africa\u2019s most popular fast-food chains.<\/p>\n

Worryingly, despite nutritional information historically being easily accessible to consumers, many fast food chains<\/p>\n

The fattiest fast food meal, sitting at 14,959 kJ or 3,575 calories, is Debonairs\u2019 Triple-Decker Topped Meaty pizza.<\/p>\n

If one person were to consume an entire stacked pizza, they would be consuming 172% of their RDA. One slice alone (approximately 1,875kJ) is more than a fifth of the RDA.<\/p>\n

Fishaways\u2019 highest-calorie meal (for one person) is the Platter for one (fried) with chips, which has 7,883 kJ, that is equivalent to 1,884 calories\u2014up from 6,046 kJ recorded in 2024.<\/p>\n

However, Fishaways\u2019 protein content has increased to 63 g, up from 39 g in 2024.<\/p>\n

The seafood restaurant chain also offers healthier options such as meals under 500 calories (2,092 kJ).<\/p>\n

Out of these options, the meal with the lowest amount of calories is the hake and salad, with only 295 calories (1,234 kJ).<\/p>\n

Steers\u2019s Mo\u2019Mjojo burger and chips meal contains approximately 8446 kJ, of which the burger alone accounts for 5,847 kJ.<\/p>\n

Below is the nutritional information of five high-calorie meals from popular fast-food restaurants.<\/p>\n

Debonairs\u2019 Triple-Decker Topped Meaty Pizza<\/b><\/p>\n

Total kilojoules (kJ)14,959kJ Per Slice1,870Fat (g)153Carbohydrates (g)342Sodium (mg)5,242<\/p>\n

KFC \u2013 Fully Loaded Box Large (With Zinger Burger)<\/b><\/p>\n

Total kilojoules (kJ)5,181Fat (g)42Carbohydrates (g)160Sodium (mg)2,662<\/p>\n

Fishaways \u2013 Platter for One (fried) with chips<\/b><\/p>\n

Total kilojoules (kJ)7,883Fat (g)123Carbohydrates (g)131Protein (g)63<\/p>\n

McDonald\u2019s \u2013 Large McFeast Meal<\/b><\/p>\n

Total kilojoules (kJ)7,293Fat (g)100Carbohydrates (g)142Sodium (mg)1,561<\/p>\n

Steers \u2013 Mo\u2019Mjojo burger and chips <\/b><\/p>\n

Total kilojoules (kJ8,446Fat (g)149Carbohydrates (g)118Sodium (mg)4,705<\/p>\n

Burger King \u2013 [NEW] Texas BBQ Bacon Bundle<\/b><\/p>\n

Total kilojoules (kJ8,116Fat (g)87Carbohydrates (g)201Sodium (mg)5,900<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About South-Africa<\/span> Follow Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – South-Africa. Despite being packed with fat, carbs and high levels of salt, South Africans can\u2019t get enough of fast food, with the segment growing significantly since the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns. New data from Stats SA shows that, following a significant dip in activity at the onset of COVID, South Africa\u2019s takeout and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":95454,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,9],"tags":[275],"class_list":["post-95455","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-miscellaneous","tag-south-africa-2"],"yoast_head":"\nThe most fattening fast food meals in South Africa - South Africa<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Despite being packed with fat, carbs and high levels of salt, South Africans can\u2019t get enough of fast food, with the seg ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/the-most-fattening-fast-food-meals-in-south-africa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The most fattening fast food meals in South Africa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Despite being packed with fat, carbs and high levels of salt, South Africans can\u2019t get enough of fast food, with the seg ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/the-most-fattening-fast-food-meals-in-south-africa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"South Africa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-02-07T18:50:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-02-07T19:10:08+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/sites\/31\/2026\/02\/sm_1770478348.772533.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"675\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/the-most-fattening-fast-food-meals-in-south-africa#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/the-most-fattening-fast-food-meals-in-south-africa\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"The most fattening fast food meals in South Africa\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-02-07T18:50:06+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-02-07T19:10:08+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/the-most-fattening-fast-food-meals-in-south-africa\"},\"wordCount\":695,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/the-most-fattening-fast-food-meals-in-south-africa#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/sites\/31\/2026\/02\/sm_1770478348.772533.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"South-Africa\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"miscellaneous\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/the-most-fattening-fast-food-meals-in-south-africa#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/the-most-fattening-fast-food-meals-in-south-africa\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/the-most-fattening-fast-food-meals-in-south-africa\",\"name\":\"The most fattening fast food meals in South Africa - 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