The nutrition transition and the human right to adequate food for adolescents in the Cape Town metropolitan area: Implications for nutrition policy

► This study focussed on the nutrition transition process among adolescent girls in Cape Town, South Africa. ► The study was conducted within the context of the human right to adequate food. ► The girls tended to skip breakfast and consume unhealthy tuck shop food. Physical activity was low. ► There was a perceived link between social status and consumption of largely unhealthy foods. ► There is a need to update existing South African nutrition policies affecting the adolescents.