Families struggle to provide balanced diet to children

…As cost-of-living crisis bites harder

With the daily soaring of food prices, stagnant incomes and low purchasing power, especially by low-income earners, families are finding it increasingly difficult to put nutritious meals on the table.

As at September 2024, Nigeria’s food inflation climbed to 37.77 percent, representing a rise of 7.13 percent from the 30.64 percent recorded in the same period last year. It is still climbing and resulting in prices of staple foods on the rooftop with proteins such as chicken, beef, fish, eggs and milk going out of the reach of many Nigerians.

According to a market survey by BDSunday, a crate of egg goes for N6,000; a kilo of fish goes for about N5,500; a kilo of turkey goes for about N7,600 while 10kg goes for N75,000, and a kilo of beef goes for between N6, 500 and N7,000.

The ugly situation has also made three-square and nutritious meals a luxury, with families now eating anything to survive, while children’s health and development are at risk.

Essential protein-rich foods like milk, eggs, beans, and meat are now out of reach for many, forcing households to compromise on quality just to keep their children fed.

“There are serious issues with hunger and inadequate nutrition. Protein is vital, especially for children, yet many families are having to make tough choices,” Beatrice Oganah-Ikujenyo, an associate professor of Nutrition at Lagos State University of Education, said. She added that the shortage of nutritional diets is more than just a financial demand and it is a growing nutritional crisis.

“Animal protein is crucial for children’s growth, immune function, and brain development,” Oganah-Ikujenyo emphasized. “When families cannot afford it, we risk stunting children’s physical and cognitive development, affecting an entire generation’s potential.”

For many Nigerian parents, providing enough protein for their children has become a daily struggle.

Rukayat, a mother of four in Lagos, said “Just a few years ago, I could afford eggs, now one egg is N300 and one crate is around N6,500 to N7,000.

“Several times a week, I give my children meat, now, we barely manage it once a week. Milk has become very expensive, we cannot afford it regularly,” she added.

“Before now, I used to buy meat for N4,000 and fish for N5,000 to prepare a pot of soup, Today, I buy the same size of meat for N10,000 and fish of less size for N10,000 before I can make a pot of soup,” said Augusta Obieze, a Lagos- base businesswoman.

According to her, the price of eggs has also increased from a little above N2,000 to N6,000 today, bringing her monthly spending on eggs alone to N12,000 monthly.

She said her family of eight spends about N100,000 on protein alone, which does not include money spent on buying beans and milk for the month.

“It is becoming difficult to ensure my children are properly fed so their growth will not be stunted. Today, I am working, and my husband is working, and we are struggling to make ends meet. What of those who do not have?” the mother of four questioned.

Beans, which used to be the meal for the commons have since become costly forcing many families to cut out their regular menu.

“Having beans on the menu is no longer cheap. We used to cook beans at least twice a week but today, we do that once a week because a derica of the popular honey beans in Lagos is over N2,000. For my family of six, we need two derica any time we want beans on our menu. This is aside from other things like plantain, bread or pap that we will use to eat the beans,” said Veronica Ntak, an office assistant.

She said she no longer burdened herself with going to buy meat for soup or stew due to the expensive nature.

“Meat and fish are very expensive. I buy cow skin popularly known as ‘pomo’ and in some cases those bones that are sold in the market because they are cheaper. But anytime I get my salary, I try my best to treat my children to a meal with this fish called ‘Shawa’ that is bony,” she said.

A mother of three, who gave her name as Iya Bose, told BDSunday that she has not cooked meat in the last three months.

Iya Bose said that she relies on pomo or the smoked fish called ‘Kpanle’ to cook a stew or even soup because that is what she can afford at the moment.

Similarly, Mary Okafor, a mother of three in Lagos, said that her family now relies heavily on rice and garri, which are no longer cheap, despite their less nutritious value for her children’s growth.

“It is not cheap, so things are tough, but we do what we can to keep our children fed,” she said.

“It is a tough choice. The cost of things is pushing us into survival mode. I fear that at some point, we may not be able to feed our children”.

Okafor’s fear is emphasised by the fact that around 40 percent of Nigerians live below the national poverty line, and rising inflation and food prices have only made nutritious food more inaccessible, especially for rural households.

Recent UNICEF and WHO reports indicate that approximately 35 percent of Nigerian children, under five years, are stunted (low height for age), and about 7 percent suffer from wasting (low weight for height), a sign of acute malnutrition.

According to the 2023 Global Hunger Index, Nigeria ranked 109th out of 125 countries with a score of 28.3 percent, placing it in the “serious” hunger category.