Rising food costs, fewer servings of healthy diet in Asia

March 8, 2023

Globally, food prices are rising. In Asia, where many countries’ economies are primarily agricultural, food costs are also becoming a burden to achieve healthy diets. The majority of nations in the world are experiencing inflation, and Asian nations that are struggling with rising food prices and a demand-supply imbalance are not exempt.

How the rising food costs impact food choices of consumers is highlighted in a 2017 study by researchers from the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, which determined, based on pooled analysis that for every 10% decrease in price of fruits and vegetables, their consumption increased by 14%, and the same percentage decrease in other healthy foods increases boosted their consumption by 16%.

At the moment, Asia is already being devoured by the cost of healthy diets. It has been a significant challenge to combat the threat of widespread malnutrition.

Affordability of healthy diets

According to FAO data, the cost and affordability of a healthy diet (CoAHD) per person in Asia is estimated to be $3.72 in 2020, up from $3.57 in 2019.

The percentage of the population unable to afford a healthy diet in 2019 is 42.1%, rising to 43.5% in 2020. Meanwhile, the number of people unable to afford a healthy diet is expected to exceed 1.89 billion in 2020, up from over 1.81 billion in 2019.
In Southeast Asia, affordability of food has significantly increased in recent years. According to the FAO data, the CoAHD in the sub-region increased to $4.019 per person in 2020 from $3.85 per person in 2019. In addition, more people now struggle to afford a healthy diet, with 347.2 million struggling in 2020 as opposed to 331.6 million in 2019.

On the other hand, the percentage of the population unable to afford a healthy diet has reached half, at 52% in 2019, rising to 53.9% in 2020.

However, contrary to what we may have believed, Singapore does not have the highest cost of a healthy diet. The country of 5.45 million population has relatively lower cost per person of healthy diet at $2.936 in 2019 and $3.064 in 2020, compared to its Southeast Asian neighbors including Brunei, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, Indonesia, Laos, and Malaysia.

Indonesia has the highest CoAHD per person in the sub-region in 2020, at nearly $4.47/person, followed by Thailand at $4.32/person in the same year.

Defining a healthy diet; how to achieve it

But what exactly is a healthy diet? A healthy diet can consist of healthy eating habits in addition to fresh fruits and vegetables. The World Health Organization (WHO) states that a healthy diet can help prevent noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and cancer, as well as malnutrition in all of its forms.

Adults are advised to consume a balanced diet that includes fruit, vegetables, legumes, nuts, and whole grains. Less salt intake, or less than 5 g of salt per day, is suggested to prevent a number of diseases, as well as balancing the intake of fats and sugars with energy expenditure. Healthy eating habits need to start earlier in life as well.

This also means that during the first six months of life and for the next two years and beyond, infants should only be breastfed. Breast milk should be supplemented with a variety of adequate, secure, and nutrient-rich foods starting at 6 months of age. Complementary foods shouldn’t have salt or sugar added. This is necessary for the child to benefit from optimal nutrition that fosters healthy growth and improves cognitive development. Additionally, it lowers the chance of gaining weight or being obese later in life and developing NCDs.

Achieving a healthy diet may be out of reach for some populations, and it may become a problem for more economies if food prices do not stabilize or match the purchasing power of consumers.

The authors of the study from Tuft University claim that subsidies and taxes are a “highly effective tool for normalizing food prices to their true societal costs”. This will help to contain the rise in healthcare costs, which are putting pressure on the budgets of the private sector, businesses, and government in addition to preventing illnesses and malnutrition.

Tags: Asia, featured, food, food prices, healthy diet