WILLAGRI
An FAO report, published in 2024, highlights the cost of healthy diets (CoHD) in Africa, revealing regional disparities and challenges in economic access to decent nutrition. CoHD is defined as the minimum cost to meet daily nutrient requirements (2330 kcal) from six food groups, with an African average of $3.74/day, adjusted for purchasing power parity (PPP). West Africa has the lowest average cost ($3.65), while Southern Africa is slightly more expensive ($3.97). However, East and West Africa have the highest number of people who are unable to access healthy food. Sudan has the lowest cost ($1.9/day), while Algeria and Mauritania have the highest costs ($4.9/day). Low incomes, urban/rural disparities and lack of nutrition education hinder access to healthy diets, even when costs are low. FAO recommends investments in local production, logistics, market access and awareness raising to improve food security.
Source : FAO