According to the National Bureau of Statistics, in May 2024, the average cost of a healthy diet for an adult was N1,041.
This was disclosed in the NBS’s CoHD report for May 2024, which was made public in Abuja on Friday.
According to the bureau, the CoHD rose by 1% in May over the N1,035 reported in April.
According to the NBS, the CoHD was the most affordable combination of locally accessible foods that satisfied internationally accepted food-based dietary recommendations.
It claimed to be a gauge of a person’s financial and practical access to a balanced diet.
“This is a lower bound (or floor) of the cost per adult per day, excluding the cost of transportation and meal preparation,”it said.
According to the agency, the following information was needed to calculate the CoHD indicator: retail food costs, data on food composition, and guidelines for a healthy diet.
According to the NBS, the South-West had the highest average CoHD in May—N1,189 per adult per day—while the South-East had the lowest average—N1,190 per day.
According to the report, the North-West had the lowest average CoHD, at N919 per adult per day.
The NBS also stated that, at the state level, the highest CoHD was recorded by Ebonyi, Abia, and Anambra, at N1,225, N1,215, and N1,205, respectively;
Kano recorded the lowest CoHD, at N898, followed by Jigawa at N899, Yobe and Katsina at N906, NBS stated that CoHD had increased steadily since the bureau’s first CoHD report in October 2023.
“The food groups that have driven the increases in CoHD the most are starchy staples, legumes, nuts and seeds, and animal source foods.
“On the other hand, vegetables and fruits recorded the lowest increase in price on a month-on-month basis,” it added.
The research also stated that, at 36% of the total CoHD and 13% of the total calories, foods derived from animals were the most expensive food group recommendation to meet in May.
In terms of cost per calorie, it was mentioned that fruits and vegetables were the most costly food groups.
It continues, “They contributed just 7% and 5% of the total calories in the Healthy Diet Basket, but they accounted for 11% and 12% of the total CoHD, respectively.
“Legumes, nuts, and seeds were the least-expensive food group on average, at seven per cent of the total cost.’’
Additionally, the paper notes that the CoHD has increased more quickly in recent months than both food and general inflation.
“However, the CoHD and the food Consumer Price Index are not directly comparable.
