Key facts
- Nearly 3 billion people worldwide cannot afford a healthy diet.
- The global cost of a healthy diet has increased by 25% in the last five years.
- A healthy diet now costs $4.28 per person per day, exceeding the extreme poverty line of $3.00 per day.
- Nutrient-rich foods like fruits, vegetables, and animal products are disproportionately expensive compared to calorie-dense staples.
Nearly three billion people globally are unable to afford a healthy diet, a situation exacerbated by a 25% spike in the cost of nutritious food over the past five years, according to the United Nations.
Máximo Torero Cullen, chief economist of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) at the UN, stated that the current daily cost of a healthy diet, adjusted for purchasing power parity, is $4.28 per person, which surpasses the international extreme poverty line of $3.00 per day.
He explained that while calories from staple foods like grains and root vegetables are inexpensive, accounting for only 13% of a healthy diet's cost, nutrient-rich foods such as fruits, vegetables, and animal products are significantly more costly. Fruits and vegetables provide only 5% of daily calories but make up 16% of the cost, while animal source foods contribute nearly 30% of the expense.
The FAO's upcoming 'State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World' report highlights that the primary challenge is not producing enough calories but making nutrient-rich foods more accessible and affordable. The World Health Organization (WHO) identifies unhealthy diets as a major risk factor for noncommunicable diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and cancer.