18 August 2025
- Jamie Oliver has returned to South Africa, this time to grill a roster of South African personalities in search of the truth about healthy eating.
- Oliver appears alongside rugby stars, comedians and online personalities in a light-hearted campaign centred on Checkers’ exclusive Simple Truth range.
- The private label now spans 287 items across 49 categories, from organic cupboard essentials to innovative plant-based options, all developed to meet growing consumer demand for healthier living.
World-renowned chef, restaurateur and healthy food advocate, Jamie Oliver, has returned to South Africa - this time to endorse Simple Truth, Checkers’ private label wellness range.
Jamie is doing so in a campaign that’s as light-hearted as it is purposeful, swapping his usual kitchen tools for a polygraph to quiz a local line-up including rugby players Pieter-Steph du Toit and Trevor Nyakane, and comedian Marc Lottering, as they uncover their “simple truths” about healthy eating... and other things.
A growing force in healthy, honest eating
Customers who buy Simple Truth products spend nearly three times more compared to the average customer.
The private label range was launched in response to increased demand for healthier, more convenient products. Checkers believes that making better choices should be easier for customers and therefore continue to invest in new products under its Simple Truth brand to give customers more choice and better value, when it comes to health, wellness and sustainability.
As Jamie says: “Choosing doesn’t have to be hard, and Checkers delivers on that no-junk promise.”
Since its launch in 2018, Simple Truth has grown into South Africa’s most accessible healthier food range, now with 287 products across 49 categories, that appeal to a variety of dietary needs, including vegan, gluten free, lactose intolerant, dairy-free and high in protein options. The products contain reduced sugar and salt; no artificial colours, flavours or sweeteners; and no added MSG - without compromising on taste. For those who want to look after the earth as much as themselves, the range also offers biodegradable cleaning products made with naturally derived ingredients.
Jamie Oliver, world-renowned chef, restaurateur and healthy food advocate.
Hero products South Africans love
Jamie points out that shoppers are spoilt for choice with Simple Truth’s expanding range, which includes customer favourites such as the peanut butter that contains no added salt or sugar, the 100% pure, unheated and unfiltered raw honey sourced from local wild blossoms, or the organic coconut water made from young green coconuts, with no artificial flavours or colours.
Free-range chicken and eggs are selected from local farms where they are free to roam outdoors as nature intended. And the Simple Truth Certified Natural Lamb was the first certified natural lamb in South Africa, with no added hormones or antibiotics.
The latest in the organic stable includes an array of pantry staples including canned diced tomatoes in tomato juice, and a range of beans - butter beans, kidney beans, chickpeas and a four-bean mix. These products are convenient and ready to use, as well as 100% organic which ensures the products are free from synthetic pesticides and genetically modified organisms (GMOs).