Regional Webinar: Exchange of experiences on methodologies for defining the cost of a healthy diet in Latin America and the Caribbean

Live Broadcast

Background

The Latin America and Caribbean region had the highest cost of a healthy diet compared to other regions, with a value of USD 3.89 per person per day in 2020, followed by Asia (USD 3.46), North America and Europe (USD 3.19) and Oceania (USD 3.07). Between 2019 and 2020, the cost of a healthy diet in the region increased by 3.4%, in the Caribbean the increase was the highest (4.1%), while in Mesoamerica the increase was half (2.1 %), and in South America the increase was 2.7%.

To the year 2020, 131 million people in the region could not afford the cost of a healthy diet. This represents an increase of 8 million compared to 2019, and is due to the higher cost of healthy diets in the region, where 22.5% of the population cannot afford the cost of a healthy diet, in the Caribbean, more of half the population, in Mesoamerica this figure is 27.8%, and in South America, 18.4%.

FAO presented an analysis of three reference diets, with increasing levels of quality

1. An energetically sufficient diet that provides adequate daily calories in relation to energy needs.
2. Nutritionally adequate diet that provides not only adequate calories, but also adequate amounts of essential nutrients in a balanced combination of carbohydrates, proteins, fats, essential vitamins and minerals, with macronutrient intakes within the Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Range - AMDR.
3. Healthy diet that provides adequate calories and nutrients, but also includes more diversified foods from several different food groups, as recommended by the Food-Based Dietary Guidelines - GABA (acronym in Spanish).

In general, the unaffordability of a healthy diet is closely related to the poverty rate, the country's income level, and levels of income inequality. According to the analysis, countries with higher levels of poverty and inequality tend to have higher levels of inaffordability. These data further demonstrate that the unaffordability of a healthy diet is associated with indicators of hunger and malnutrition

Lowering the cost of nutritious food and improving access to healthy diets is essential to eradicating hunger, improving food security and reducing malnutrition in all its forms. Failure to act will prevent countries from advancing towards the fulfillment of Sustainable Development Goal 2 - SDG 2, which seeks to eliminate hunger, achieve food security, improve nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture by 2030

Platform

It will be developed on the Zoom platform, where there will be simultaneous Spanish-English and English-Spanish translation, the link will be sent in advance, for the entry of the panelists, likewise the space will be created for the audience that is interested in participating.

Exhibitors

• Organizations of the United Nations System: FAO and WFP
• United States: Tufts University.
• Jamaica: The University of the West Indies.
• Mexico: National Institute of Public Health INSP.
• Uruguay: University of the Republic - UDELAR Uruguay.