The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has reported that the National Average Cost of a Healthy Diet (CoHD) per adult per day stood at N858 in January 2024.
This information was disclosed in the NBS’s CoHD report for January 2024, released in Abuja over the weekend.
According to the NBS, the CoHD represents the most cost-effective combination of locally available items that align with globally consistent food-based dietary guidelines. It serves as a metric for assessing both the physical and economic accessibility of nutritious diets.
The NBS explained that factors such as Retail Food Prices, Food Composition Data, and Healthy Diet Standards were utilized in computing the CoHD indicator.
ALSO READ: Petrol price reaches N668.30 in January – NBS
In terms of regional disparities, the report highlighted that the average CoHD was highest in the South-West at N1,045 per adult per day, followed by the South-East at N986 per day, while the lowest average CoHD was recorded in the North-West at N683 per adult per day.
At the state level, Osun, Ekiti, and Ondo were reported to have the highest CoHD at N1,090, N1,087, and N1,063 respectively, whereas Katsina and Niger recorded the lowest costs at N629, followed by Kano and Jigawa at N649 and N676 respectively.
The report emphasized that animal-source foods constituted the most expensive food group recommendation in January 2024, accounting for 38 percent of the total CoHD to provide 13 percent of the total calories. Conversely, fruits and vegetables were the costliest food groups in terms of price per calorie.
The NBS noted a recent increase in the CoHD, surpassing both general inflation and food inflation rates.
ALSO READ: NBS reports nationwide surge in food prices for Jan 2024
However, it cautioned against directly comparing the CoHD with the food Consumer Price Index (CPI), as the former includes fewer items and is measured in Naira per day, while the latter is a weighted index.
The CoHD report was presented in Abuja on January 31, 2024, and was a collaborative effort between the NBS, the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), and various federal ministries including Budget and Economic Planning, Health and Social Welfare, and Agriculture and Food Security.
Technical support was provided by the Food Prices for Nutrition project led by the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, U.S.
NAN
