It has emerged that more average Nigerians are finding it difficult to have balanced diet as the cost of a healthy meal has increased to N1,255.

Latest numbers from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed Nigeria?s rising food inflation at 32.15 per cent as of August 2024.

In recent times, Nigeria has seen some of its worst food inflation, putting a balanced diet further out of reach for the common man.

However, the cost of eating a healthy meal decreased, albeit slightly, in August compared to July.

The rising cost of maintaining a healthy diet has put a strain on many Nigerians, as the average daily cost of a healthy diet in the country reached N1,255 per adult in August 2024, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

The bureau said that the cost of healthy diet in August decreased by 0.8 per cent compared to the N1,265 recorded in July.

The NBS said the cost of healthy diet was the least expensive combination of locally available items that met globally consistent food-based dietary guidelines.

It said It was used as a measure of physical and economic access to healthy diets.

According to the NBS, ?This is a lower bound (or floor) of the cost per adult per day excluding the cost of transportation and meal preparation.?

The bureau said that to compute the cost of healthy diet indicator, the following data on Retail Food Prices, Food Composition Data, and Healthy Diet Standards were required.

The NBS also said that In August, the average cost of healthy diet was highest in the South-West at N1,554 per adult per day, followed by the South-South at N1,381 per day.

It said the lowest average cost of healthy diet was recorded in the North-West at N1,014 per adult per day.

The NBS further said that at the state level Ogun, Lagos and Rivers recorded the highest cost of healthy diet at N1,641, N1,615, and N1,572, respectively.

The bureau said Katsina recorded the lowest cost of healthy diet at N880, followed by Kaduna at N951, and Sokoto at N980.

The NBS said cost of healthy diet had steadily increased over the past six months, since March 2024.

It said, ?The cost of healthy diet in August 2024 is 28 per cent higher than what was recorded in March 2024 at N982. The food groups that have driven the increases in cost of healthy diet are legumes, nuts and seeds, starchy staples, and vegetables.

?On a month-month basis, cost of healthy diet declined by 0.8 per cent compared to the cost in July 2024 at N1,265 and vegetables saw a decline in price by 14.5 per cent every month.?

The report added that animal-source foods were the most expensive food group recommendation to meet in August accounting for 37 per cent of the total cost of healthy diet to provide 13 per cent of the total calories.

It noted that fruits and vegetables were the most expensive food groups in terms of price per calorie.

It stated, ?They accounted for 11 per cent and 14 per cent, respectively, of the total cost of healthy diet while providing only seven per cent and five per cent of total calories in the Healthy Diet Basket. Legumes, nuts and seeds were the least-expensive food group on average, at seven per cent of the total cost.??

The report also said that in recent months, the cost of healthy diet had risen faster than general inflation and food inflation.

?However, the cost of healthy diet and the food Consumer Price Index (CPI) are not directly comparable. The cost of healthy diet includes fewer items and is measured in Naira per day, while the food CPI is a weighted index,? NBS said.

Recently, the UN?s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) stated that no fewer than 26.5 million Nigerians living in the states of Borno, Sokoto, and Zamfara, and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), may face a food crisis between June and August.

Also, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said over the last decade, limited reforms, security challenges, weak growth and now high inflation had worsened poverty and food insecurity in Nigeria. (THISDAY)

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