‘Over 64.8% of Africans can’t afford healthy diet’

The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations, has said 64.8 per cent of the African population cannot afford a healthy diet.

The report titled: ‘Healthy diets unaccordable for third of world’s population,’ attributed diet efficiency to purchasing power parity, com- prising diversity, adequacy, moderation and balance.

According to the UN, the figure in Asia was 35.1 per cent; in Latin America and the Caribbean, 27.7 per cent; in Oceania 20.1 per cent; and in Northern America and Europe, 4.8 per cent.

People who cannot afford the least-cost healthy diet in their countries are likely facing at least some degree of food and nutritional insecurity and thus face the risk of swelling the ranks of the hungry as measured in SOFI’s, the Chief Economist of FAO Maximo Torero said.