Osun, Ekiti, Ondo top list of most expensive states for healthy diet

Osun, Ekiti and Ondo states have topped the list of states with the highest cost of obtaining a healthy diet per adult in January, according to the Cost of Healthy Diet report.

The report published by the National Bureau of Statistics in collaboration with the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition states that “At the state level, Osun, Ekiti and Ondo states recorded the highest cost of healthy diet per adult with N1,090, N1,087, and N1,063 respectively.”

While Katsina and Niger states accounted for the lowest cost with N629, followed by Kano and Jigawa with N649 and N676 respectively, the report added.

However, at the zonal level, the average cost of a healthy diet (CoHD) was highest in the South West at N1,045 per day, followed by the South East with N986 per day.

The national average cost of a healthy diet was N858 in January 2024. In January 2024, the average CoHD was highest in the South West at N1,045 per adult per day, compared to N683 per adult per day in the North West.

In January 2024, Katsina (Urban) had the lowest cost of a healthy diet at N573 per adult per day, while the most expensive location was Ondo (Rural) with CoHD at N1,145.

Besides, there were a few similarities in the least-cost items in January such as avocado pear and soybeans, the cost per food was different in these locations because of underlying price differences.

Most of the food groups had different least-cost items; for example, millet whole grain was the least-expensive starchy staple in Katsina (urban), compared with maize grain white in Ondo (rural).

The commonly the least-cost across different locations were Oils and Fats Food group, Vegetable Oil was the least expensive item in 78 percent of state sectors, and soybeans were the least-expensive item in the legumes, nuts and seeds Food Group in 64 percent of all the state-sectors.

Coconuts were selected as the least-cost item for the fruit food group in 34 percent of state-sectors.

In recent months, the CoHD has risen faster than general inflation and food inflation. However, the CoHD and the food CPI are not directly comparable; the CoHD includes fewer items and is measured in naira per day, while the food CPI is a weighted index, the NBS report indicates.

In recent months, the CoHD has risen faster than general inflation and food inflation.

The cost of a healthy diet is the least expensive combination of locally available items that meet globally consistent food-based dietary guidelines.

It is used as a measure of physical and economic access to healthy diets. This is a lower bound of the cost per adult per day excluding the cost of transportation and meal preparation.

Cost share by food group
Animal source foods were the most expensive food group recommendation to meet in January, accounting for 38 percent of the total CoHD to provide 13 percent of the total calories.

Fruits and vegetables were the most expensive food groups in terms of price per calorie; they accounted for 12 percent and 14 percent, respectively, of total CoHD while providing only seven percent and five percent of total calories in the healthy diet basket. legumes, nuts and seeds were the least-expensive food group on average, at six percent of the total cost.

Nations and the World Bank as a metric of food security. The CoHD metric uses the availability, price, and nutritional composition of retail food items to identify the least expensive combination of items that meet the requirements for a healthy diet.