FAO Chief Economist: Cost of Healthy Diet Up 25% Since 2021, Unaffordable for 2.69 Billion

The global cost of a healthy diet has increased 25 percent in the past five years, reaching an average of 4.28 U.S. dollars in purchasing power parity (PPP) terms per person per day, according to figures released by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). As a result, 2.69 billion people—almost one in every three people in the world—still cannot afford a healthy diet, FAO Chief Economist Máximo Torero Cullen said at a press briefing in New York on July 15, 2026.UNifeed

The findings form part of the upcoming State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) 2026 report, which will be fully launched on July 21 at FAO headquarters in Rome under the theme of understanding and addressing the high cost of a healthy diet. Torero noted that the cost exceeds the extreme poverty line of about $3 PPP per person per day.The Straits TimesInquirer.net

Costs are unevenly distributed across food groups. Staple foods such as beans and grains account for about half of required calories but only 13 percent of the diet’s cost. In contrast, animal-source foods represent nearly 30 percent of the cost, while fruits and vegetables provide only about 5 percent of calories yet make up 16 percent of the expense. “The challenge therefore is not to produce enough calories, it is making nutrient-rich foods more affordable,” Torero said.UNifeed

Between 70 and 75 percent of the cost of a healthy diet is generated after food leaves the farm, in storage, transport, processing, cold chains, and wholesale markets. Local production can sharply lower costs; in Africa, using locally produced foods versus a standardized global basket could reduce expenses by almost 80 percent. Latin America and the Caribbean, particularly the Caribbean, currently face the highest regional costs.The Straits Times

Torero recommended three priorities: reducing structural costs across post-farm value chains through investments in rural roads, cold storage, and logistics; repurposing subsidies and policies away from cereals toward nutrient-dense foods; and strengthening evidence-based policymaking with better local data and coordination across agriculture, health, trade, and social protection. Simulations indicate that subsidizing staples alone can increase the relative cost of a healthy diet.UNifeed

Looking ahead, Torero flagged risks including disruptions to fertilizer supplies (such as potential effects from the Strait of Hormuz on phosphates and related inputs) and a strong El Niño weather pattern expected to peak later in 2026, which could affect yields and prices. Input costs for farmers remain elevated due to factors including natural gas prices and infrastructure issues.Inquirer.net

These figures update ongoing monitoring of the cost and affordability of healthy diets, a metric jointly tracked by FAO and the World Bank using International Comparison Program price data. Earlier SOFI reports and World Bank data showed rising costs through 2024, with roughly 2.6 billion people unable to afford healthy diets that year at an average of about $4.46 PPP.World Bank Food Prices for NutritionFAO SOFI page

Unaffordable healthy diets contribute to both undernutrition and rising overweight and obesity, generating hidden health and economic costs. The report positions the cost metric as a diagnostic tool for transforming agrifood systems to improve nutrition outcomes toward Sustainable Development Goal 2.

Why this is uncovered

This statistic originates from a recent FAO press briefing on preliminary SOFI 2026 data, covered primarily by wire services such as AFP and regional outlets in Asia, but receiving limited attention from major global mainstream media. Broader food-security and nutrition affordability stories often compete with more acute conflict or disaster coverage, despite their long-term public-health and equity implications for billions.