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Cost of a Healthy Diet (CoHD)
Context:
The 2024 State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World report estimates that as of 2022, 55.6% of India’s population—around 788 million people—could not afford a diet that met their nutritional needs.
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- A healthy, nutritious diet is widely recognised as essential to addressing the “triple burden of malnutrition,” which refers to the simultaneous presence of undernutrition, overnutrition, and micronutrient deficiencies, as seen in India.
- The National Family Health Surveys (NFHS) of 2015-16 and 2019-21 reveal persistently high levels of child undernutrition and rising rates of anaemia among adults, even as obesity and overweight cases have surged in both rural and urban areas.
Thalinomics
- The cost of a thali has recently gained popularity as a way to measure meal expenses, especially for the poor.
- In 2019-20, the Economic Survey dedicated a chapter to “Thalinomics,” where they calculated the cost of “typical” thalis.
- These thalis included rice and wheat, a variety of pulses (for vegetarian thalis) or an animal-based protein (for non-vegetarian thalis), along with a mix of vegetables, mustard, coconut or groundnut oil, and spices.
- The quantities used were based on the 2011 Food-Based Dietary Guidelines (FBDGs) developed by the Indian Council of Medical Research-National Institute of Nutrition (ICMR-NIN).
Problem with Thalinomics
- However, the thali does not fully align with nutritional recommendations.
- Its main ingredients provide only about 61% of the recommended daily intake of various foods by weight and meet 65% of the NIN’s 2021 caloric guidelines.
- Additionally, it excludes several nutrient-dense food groups, such as green leafy vegetables, dairy, and nuts and seeds.
- The thali’s construction is also data-intensive, relying on quantities from the outdated 2011-12 National Sample Survey Consumer Expenditure Survey (NSS-CES) to determine weights.
- While Thalinomics may appear to represent “typical” meals, this classification is somewhat arbitrary, given the wide variation in food preferences and local availability across India.
An Alternative Method
- An alternative approach is to advocate for the Indian government to track the cost of a healthy diet (CoHD) as a regular measure of the expense required to meet nutritional needs.
- The CoHD reflects the minimum daily per person expenditure necessary to meet food group-wise energy recommendations based on national Food-Based Dietary Guidelines (FBDGs), assuming all food is purchased from the market.
- This approach is supported by three key points:
- First, the CoHD uses existing price data and doesn’t depend on costly household consumption surveys like the thali calculation.
- Second, the computations are straightforward, easily automated, and simple to interpret.
- Third, and most crucially, the CoHD captures a different measure than the cost of a thali.
State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World
The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2024 (SOFI 2024) report, published by the FAO, IFAD, UNICEF, WFP, and WHO, provides a comprehensive analysis of global food security and nutrition trends.
Key Findings
- Global Hunger Rates: Between 713 and 757 million people faced hunger in 2023, equating to one in eleven people globally, with one in five individuals in Africa experiencing hunger. Asia has the highest number of undernourished individuals at 384.5 million, despite a lower percentage of the population being affected.
- Food Insecurity: Approximately 2.33 billion people experienced moderate or severe food insecurity in 2023, with over 864 million suffering from severe food insecurity.
- Cost of a Healthy Diet: The average global cost of a healthy diet rose to $3.96 per person per day in purchasing power parity terms in 2022. Despite this increase, the number of people unable to afford a healthy diet decreased to 2.83 billion.
- Regional Disparities: The cost of a healthy diet is highest in Latin America and the Caribbean while being lowest in Oceania.
- Child Nutrition: There have been improvements in reducing stunting and wasting among children under five; however, progress remains insufficient to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) targets for 2030.
- Obesity and Anaemia: Rising obesity rates globally and increasing anaemia among women aged 15 to 49 pose significant public health challenges.
Recommendations
- Increase Public Investment: There is a critical need for enhanced public spending on food security and nutrition programs aimed at reducing hunger.
- Addressing Disparities: Targeted interventions are necessary to address the widening gaps between different income groups, particularly focusing on low-income countries that continue to face high levels of food insecurity.