In my opinion, yes.

I'm not referring to children who only eat a third of their meal and then claim they're full - at that point, the child is clearly under-eating, so then it would be important for parents to encourage them to eat more so that they develop properly. But if it comes down to just "a few more bites" like you say, then what exactly is the point of forcing your child to finish the food? Pure principle? Teaching them to be thankful for what they have? They can be thankful for their meal while still not wanting to finish the entire thing. It's not like a few bites is enough to have made a whole new meal. What exactly are you "wasting" by not eating a few bites?

Maybe I'm missing something, but I just never understood the point of this mentality

I don't think most people says 'South Africa' Never heard of that. They say 'Africa'.

Anyway I think because back in the day, there were these raised money telethons on TV (Yes there was no Cable and only a few channels - so a lot of people experice these). Some of these Telethons were used to raised money for food to help dying hungry children in few countries in African at the time, like in Sudan and Ethiopia and some other countries. So the images of skinny dying children prompted a reaction on many people to help and some of the images they saw stay in marked on their heads. So I think that also contributed to parents and so forth to say that phrase to their children about eating their food 'because there are starving children in Africa'.

Here is some background:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feed_the_Children

I mean? Considering South Africa is one of the better off parts of Africa

I think about it myself when I waste food
I mean it is true

Yes.

I use it on my parents. A true reverse Warholian experience.

URGH yes, my sister always says starving children in Africa. I hate that quote.
1) How's that supposed to make me feel better
2) There's starving children everywhere (although the media portrays Africa as poor so no surprise there)
3) That quote is so iconic that when you throw away food on TS3, they say there's starving children in Strangetown

All the time
That's why i rarely talk to them and i never bitch about anything, i do everything by myself

I don't think it's a 'guilt trip', per se, but a reminder that there are actually people starving while you are throwing food away. Irrespective of where.

I remember only one occasion of them saying that.

Queeeen!
It's more like i say it to mock my friends.Do they starve in 2015 tho?

This is my family. We live in South AFRICA but every now and then you hear parents saying that there are starving children in Africa now eat up your gnocchi & caviar

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZsgGAvhgcM

8:45 - 8:57

Karen had my response