Consumers – E-Commerce & Marketplaces · Editorial

By Moakanyi Magazine · Global Issue · June 2026

A price that cannot fall finds another way to bend. When food inflation pushes the cost of a staple beyond a household's weekly reach, the brand often keeps the unit price visible and shrinks the pack – the sachet of cooking oil, the single-serve coffee, the smaller bag of maize meal. Smaller packaging and sachet strategies are how affordability is preserved when the underlying price will not come down.

The FAO's food price index tracks the global cost pressure that drives this behaviour, the upstream signal that reaches Botswana shelves as squeezed budgets and rationed purchases. For an import-reliant food basket, that global index is not a distant number – it is the pressure behind the pack size.

The sachet as an affordability tool

For a Botswana shopper managing a tight budget, a smaller pack lowers the cash needed at the till even when it raises the price per litre or kilogram. The trade-off is real – sachets can cost more per unit – but they keep a product within reach for buyers who cannot commit to a full-size pack. For brands, the small format protects volume and keeps the customer in the franchise rather than losing them to a cheaper substitute.

When the shelf price cannot fall, the pack gets smaller instead.

The measured reading for Botswana retailers and brands is that value packaging is a legitimate response to food inflation, not a gimmick – provided the per-unit cost stays honest and visible. Smaller formats keep staples accessible through a costly period; the responsibility is to make sure affordability at the till does not quietly become a worse deal by the kilogram, and that the shopper choosing a sachet is doing so with eyes open.

Sources: FAO