The Cost of a Healthy Diet

Access to a healthy diet is invaluable. The prerequisite for sustainable development is a well-nourished and healthy workforce. A well-nourished population reflects how well a country’s social and economic sectors are performing, and to a greater extent, it shows the efficiency of allocating the country’s national resources. A country suffers the consequences when access to a healthy diet becomes limited. Nigeria struggles to meet the growing demand for healthy foods, which threatens economic development and prevents Nigerians from improving their standard of living.

Since February 2024, the Cost of a Healthy Diet (CoHD) has steadily risen. A report by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the Nigerian agency responsible for the development and management of official statistics, showed that the CoHD for July 2024 (₦1,265) was 35 per cent higher than it was in February 2024 (₦934). The CoHD for July 2024 was approximately 2 per cent higher than June 2024 (₦1,241). The key drivers behind the increase in the CoHD are the rising prices of legumes, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and starchy staples. There is a positive relationship between the CoHD and food inflation. Rotimi Fakeyejo, a financial and economic expert, stated, “The rising cost of healthy diets is directly related to food inflation, which has contributed to the overall increase in prices”. He further said, “It is food inflation that’s brought about the high cost of healthy diets, so they are directly related.” At the state level, Ekiti, Osun, and Ogun states’ CoHD were ₦1,632, ₦1,612, ₦1,611, which is higher than the national average CoHD (₦1,265). Moreover, Katsina, Adamawa, and Sokoto recorded the lowest cost with ₦884, ₦914, and ₦927. On the zonal level, the South-West zone has the highest average CoHD at ₦1,581 per day, followed by the South-South Zone ₦1,487 per day. The North-West zone recorded the lowest average CoHD with ₦956.

The rise of the average CoHD puts a financial strain on Nigerian households, primarily low-income households. Since the national average of CoHD is ₦1,265, this means that over a month (30 days), the total CoHD will be ₦37,950. This means that having one healthy meal daily for 30 days takes more than half (0.54 per cent) of the average minimum wage (₦70,000). Getting three healthy meals per day will cost ₦3,795. In a month, the total sum will be ₦113,850, 61.4 per cent more than the minimum wage. The high cost of a healthy meal has far-reaching consequences on the country’s economic development and the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Nigeria is already facing significant challenges in fighting poverty, and the high cost of healthy foods will worsen it. According to the World Bank, Nigeria’s poverty rate is estimated to have reached 38.9 per cent in 2023, with approximately 87 million Nigerians living below the poverty line. This makes Nigeria the world’s second-largest poor population after India. In line with the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goal 1 (SDG 1), Nigeria aims to eradicate poverty by 2030. The high cost of healthy foods makes it difficult for Nigeria to achieve SDG 1 in 2030 by diminishing the purchasing power of Nigerians, especially impoverished Nigerians, pushing more Nigerians into poverty.

The high cost of healthy diets will exacerbate child malnutrition and food insecurity in Nigeria, especially in the Borno, Adamawa, and Yola states (BAY states), which have been hit the hardest by insurgency. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, in the BAY states, approximately 4.4 million people are expected to have either a crisis or emergency food needs in the lean season. UNOCHA further stated that in these states, about 1.53 million children under five years old are expected to face acute malnutrition and approximately 511,800 children are expected to face severe acute malnutrition (SAM), a life-threatening situation. This has profound implications for Nigeria’s economic growth and development. The high cost of healthy foods will worsen the malnutrition situation in Nigeria and lead to low economic productivity. Access to a healthy diet is essential for children because it helps with their education and improves the country’s human development index (HDI). As the proportion of educated workers increases, so does a country’s productivity. Through education, people develop the necessary literacy and critical thinking skills to solve complex societal problems. However, the high CoHD prevents Nigeria from improving its HDI through children’s education. According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Nutritious Officer, Nkeiru Enwelum, children who are malnourished have reduced brain and physical comity development, making them unlikely to do well in school. This significantly reduces Nigeria’s HDI and Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The inability to access nutritious foods will also affect people’s ability to afford medical care, leading to high mortality rates among the most vulnerable population.

The Nigerian government has taken measures to address the rising cost of a healthy diet. The government released maize, millet, and other agricultural produce from the nation’s food reserve to boost agricultural products. Other government initiatives include making fertilisers available to farmers and establishing agro-rangers to curb insecurity. Despite government efforts, the cost of healthy diets remains high in Nigeria. Insecurity, persistent socioeconomic vulnerabilities, and overreliance on food imports to feed a growing population contribute to food inflation and, in turn, the high cost of healthy diets.

Terrorist activities by bandits, insurgent groups and Fulani herders have made farmlands inaccessible. Many farmers have abandoned their farmlands due to insecurity. To tackle insecurity, the government and various stakeholders must be proactive. This will mean working with communities and utilising community policing as a practical measure against insecurity, especially in hotspot areas. Technology should be utilised to assess areas with hotspot areas and take swift action to protect farmers from violent attacks.

In Nigeria, there are persistent socioeconomic vulnerabilities, with 133 million people experiencing multidimensional poverty. Those who are vulnerable do not have the financial resources to afford a healthy diet, and the rising cost of nutritious diets will further limit their access to healthy foods. The federal, state, and local governments and various international and national bodies should identify the minimum-income households required to access diets, provide social protection and use cash transfers to aid vulnerable populations, especially in the BAY regions.

There needs to be a proactive approach towards revitalising the Nigerian food system. Effective collaboration between research institutions should be established to develop seed varieties, and smallholder farmers need to be educated about these innovations. The government should encourage public-private partnerships to drive agricultural innovation, facilitate technological advancement, and attract investment. This will help empower smallholder farmers and make Nigeria less dependent on food imports.