In this Business Talk with Michael Avery interview, Dr Christine Taljaard-Krugell discusses child nutrition and its impact on the future of South Africa.
Taljaard-Krugell is a Senior Lecturer and Associate Professor at North-West University Centre of Excellence for Nutrition and has worked at the university for over 12 years.
Her work focuses on nutrition research and public health, and as a lecturer, she is committed to preparing her students for the real-world challenges of addressing public health issues at the local and global levels.
Taljaard-Krugell has also worked closely with the African Nutrition Leadership Programme (ANLP) since 2014.
The ANLP develops individual and institutional leadership capacity in nutrition fields across the African continent.
She holds a master’s degree and a PhD in Nutrition from North-West University.
The interview
In this Business Talk interview, Taljaard-Krugell unpacks what malnutrition looks like in the average household in 2026 and how environmental issues such as unemployment, rising food prices, and limited services impact childcare.
Taljaard-Krugell discusses what concerns her the most about food and nutrition insecurity for children, and reveals how we should be designing nutrition programs.
She also touches on where the current system fails children most and what she would consider meaningful progress in improving child nutrition for South Africans.
Taljaard-Krugell concludes the interview by outlining what it will take for South Africa to stop treating child nutrition as a private household struggle and start treating it as a national investment in human potential.
Watch the interview with Dr Christine Taljaard-Krugell below.
