Is a healthy diet more expensive?
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
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Tällä viikolla kaaren karnevaalissa on luvassa 5 päivää mutattomia hintoja. Pikkura on herkkuja keskiviikosta sunnuntaihin. Kaara suorinta reittiä kaareen napsimaan parhaan päältä. Katso tarjoukset kaarenkarnevaali.fi. Tavallinen tiistaa tammikuussa Järborin lomahotellin uima-altaalla. Etpä sama kimi! Oule hän nyt pois Altaasta. Nyt pitää oikeasti lähteä kotiin. Varaan lämmin talviloma. Täärepori. Lomia, joiden etsoisi loppuvan.
I spend over ninety percent of my income on food, yes. Over ninety percent of my income goes on food. My name is Frances. I'm from Nigeria. Living in legal states. We struggle to afford food. Because cost of food here. Із Kind of hype. I for myself I eat. Sometimes just once or twice so that the kids will be able to eat. You need to
Francis is not alone. Around the world food prices have risen sharply in recent years, making it harder for many people to eat well.
What we found is that 32.7% of the population cannot afford a healthy diet. They are entirely priced out. of a healthy diet.
So that means that almost one in three people around the world can't afford a healthy diet.
Exactly.
Some of them, even in the world's richest countries, I'm very
opportunistic. I go to places where I can get food for free.
As often as possible. The rising cost of food prompted us to ask a simple question on the BBC World Service Facebook page. Is it more expensive to eat healthily? Hundreds of you replied and opinion was divided. Plenty said no. Cook from scratch with pulses and fresh vegetables and nutritious whole foods and that can actually cost less. But is it always that simple?
Sometimes we skip having milk. Because You know, it's a hot season and fuel prices are high and getting milk is a challenge.
Here on the food chain from the BBC World Service with me, Ruth Alexander, we're finding out what it really takes to eat a healthy and varied diet. Why, depending on where you live and what you earn, that can be harder than it sounds, and getting some tips for eating well as cheaply as possible. Let's hear more now from Frances, who sent us this voice note from her home near Lagos.
I eat the normal staple foods, yam, rice, beans, and there is meat. There is meat, but it's not as much as it used to be. It's very, very hard to find healthy foods here. Like when I get to even buy foods. Fruits as little as grape. When my children see it, it'll be like they saw something that they've never seen before. But these were things they eat ordinarily before. It was always affordable. Now the only fruits that you can get are seasonal fruits like oranges, African star apple or what they call it. Besides that, every other thing is so expensive. That's is my challenge
here. What Francis is experiencing at home in Nigeria is also visible in the global figures. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, which has been analyzing the affordability of nutritious foods across the world, says food prices have risen by around a quarter in recent years because of factors like the global pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and conflict in the Middle East. I've been speaking to the FAO chief. Economist Maximo Torero Cullen about how many people this is affecting and what the UN's definition of a healthy diet is.
So the major core behind the definition of a healthy diet is diversity. This includes vegetables, fruits, oils and fats, legumes and nuts. Starchy staples, animal source foods.
So how affordable is a healthy diet?
So when we look at affordability, what we found is that thirty two point seven percent of the population cannot afford a healthy diet. They are entirely priced out Of a healthy diet.
So that means that almost one in three people around the world can't afford a healthy diet?
Exactly.
That's two point seven billion people. The most hard to afford foods tend to be vegetables, fruits, and animal source foods. In some low and middle income nations, poor roads and a lack of cold storage can make fresh food more expensive still, particularly in remote areas.
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Chapters
4 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:00–5:53
2
What does the BBC research say about the global affordability of a healthy diet?
5:53–10:30
3
Why can’t Frances in Nigeria afford basic healthy foods for her family?
10:30–27:22
4
Which regions of the world have the most expensive healthy‑food baskets and why?
27:22–28:56